


Hyena Shenanigans

by NitPickz



Category: Original Work, The Lion King (1994)
Genre: Arguing, Blood and Injury, Childhood, Comedy, F/M, Gen, Other, Sentimental, Sexual Content, Swearing, The Hyenas are human cannibals in this, Threats of Violence, cannibals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NitPickz/pseuds/NitPickz
Summary: Deep within the outskirts of Savannahville lays the colony of the Hyena Clan; vicious cannibals known for their sharp teeth and delicacy for human flesh.Doesn't mean they're always monstrous though.Read as they go through countless shenanigans ranging from ridiculous to just downright nasty.
Relationships: OC/OC





	1. Characters

The Hyena Clan. Savages, murderers and, most of all, cannibals. Natural enemies of the Lionheart Family and outcasts in the Outskirts of Pride Town, Savannahville.

-Saul: Patriarch of the Hyena Clan. Laney's partner. Comes from a separate clan of Hyenas. Highly intelligent and sophisticated. Very no-nonsense

-Laney: Matriarch of the Hyena Clan. Saul's partner. Has been a friend of the Hyena Brothers since childhood. Acts like an older sister with them sometimes. Extremely no-nonsense.

-Lonzo: Oldest of the Hyena Brothers. Is nominally in charge of his younger brothers. Wears body armor after a near death incident from childhood. Despises the Wolves and Lionhearts, but does have bit of a conscience.

-Sweeney: Middle man of the Hyena Brothers. Multiple scars and cuts across body. Has a metal head plate from a past incident. Has a mildly short temper. Has bit of a sadistic side when hunting prey. Has a snarky and sarcastic sense of humor.

-Keach: Youngest of the Hyena Brothers. Bandaged around face (except mouth, nose and right eye). Suffers from past injuries and deformities. Also suffers from speech impediment. Known to laugh almost uncontrollably and use physical expression to communicate.

-Luna: Lonzo's girlfriend. Usually helps Lonzo with stress relief. Also assists with food rationing for the clan. Partly works as a barber and hairdresser.

-Ruby: Sweeney's girlfriend. Has known Sweeney since childhood. Disappeared for a time before returning during early adulthood. Enjoys reminiscing under a tree from childhood.

-Marianne: Keach's girlfriend. Usually helps Keach with his speech impediment. Also partly works with Joanne. Hair partially covers right eye.

-Carver: The clan mole. Has been Sweeney's best friend ever since the former saved him from drowning as a kid. Can blend into rural areas thanks to his ragged appearance

-Snowy: The clan runner. One of the faster members of the clan. Often used for distractions. Usually pokes fun at Harmon. No longer uses his actual name.

-Xerxes: The clan warrior. Calm and collected. Extremely agile and efficient at combat. Also helps settle disputes between fellow Hyenas (albeit in a forceful manner).

-Evie: The clan scavenger. Keeps to herself most of the time. Very skilled with collecting. Good friends with Vern. Also very well read. A little odd.

-Sandy: The clan mechanic. Carver's girlfriend. Skilled with building and mending whatever she can get her hands on. A bit eccentric during work.

-Bessie: The clan auntie. Is a source of help for the Hyena Brothers. Tends to be delightfully sassy. Sometimes acts like a mom to the brothers.

-Harmon: The clan cook. Often the target for fat jokes from the other males. Oftens gets into scraps with Snowy. Is surprisingly fast on his feet. Can really hold his own in a fight.

-Vinnie: The clan strategist. Scarred across right eye (right eye damaged). Has had past war experience. Largely despises the Wolf Clan due to past experiences. One of the clan's best fighters.

-Cyrus: The clan grunt. Snowy's best friend. Usually works as a grunt. A little less brash than Snowy. Bit of a snappy dresser. Uses a firearm as his primary choice of weapon.

-Xaria: The clan medic. Bandaged around left eye. Skilled with medicine (with help from Bessie). Quiet, but still kind-hearted.

-Joanne: The clan mystic. The oldest in the Hyena Clan. Has known the Hyena Brothers since they were boys. Acts like a grandmother to them and the younger Hyenas.

-Barb: The clan supervisor. Really strict. Is a force to be reckoned with when agitated. Acts like a mom to Vern. Is often at odds with Jan and, occasionally, the Hyena Brothers.

-Hunter: The clan brute. Scarred across the face. Patch of hair missing. Has experience with motor vehicles. Acts like a big brother to some of the younger Hyenas.

-Eugene: The clan lawyer. Smart with words and well dressed. Works closely with Saul. Has a very smug demeanor about him.

-Vern: The clan scout. The youngest in the Hyena Clan. A bit timid. Often a pestering victim for the rival Wolf Clan.

-Piper: The clan tomboy. The youngest female in the clan. A tad reckless for her own good. Very adventurous.

-Shelley: The clan beauty. A little prissy. Smart with words. Acts like a big sister to Piper. Sometimes helps with distraction tactics.

-Jan: The clan party girl. Extremely carefree. Not too active outside the clan's territory. Often earns the ire of Barb.


	2. The Body (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lonzo, Laney, Sweeney & Keach go on a journey to find a dead body. All while talks are made and scars are dealt.

(Main Characters: Lonzo, Laney, Sweeney & Keach. All aged 12 to 13)

"How do you know a Weasel's been in your yard?" asked the future matriarch of the Hyena Clan, Laney.

"Hey, I'm part Weasel, ok?" replied her friend Sweeney. She ignored him and said "Your garbage is missing and your pet's pregnant", earning a laugh from her and her other friend Lonzo, who was also Sweeney's brother.

"Didn't I just say I was part Weasel?" Sweeney asked rhetorically.

Laney had known Lonzo and Sweeney since she was at least 5 or 6. They had met during a meeting their parents were attending and they had snuck off to a secluded spot they would just hang around in. They had hit it off fairly quickly as she was easily amused by their brotherly antics. And they liked her because, as future matriarch, she told them things they couldn't even imagine about the world outside the clan's home. When they were around 8 or 9, they managed to construct a little hut for them to hang around in.

To her, the brothers were easily her best friends in the world. Lonzo was the older brother, which meant he had to be in charge of Sweeney. He was surprisingly smart for his age and a pretty good subject for leader material. He could lose his cool sometimes, but only when things were really getting bad and were getting to him. Sweeney, on the other hand, was almost the exact opposite of his brother. A bit more brash and even a little crazier to be precise. He also had a tendency to be snarky and sarcastic, usually to tease and mock, but would also do it to straight up insult. In that regard, he was a lot more crude than Lonzo, but was still a good guy to be around.

Lonzo was the most built of the two while Sweeney was a bit more slim. Lonzo's black hair was wild and extremely messy. He had dark skin and medium sharp teeth, the average for Hyenas around his age. Sweeney also had black hair, but it was longer and went down to his shoulders, although he kept it back by wearing a beanie. His skin was paler than Lonzo's, which further proved they did not have the same parents. He also wore round red lens glasses, although no one ever asked him why. His teeth were much sharper than Lonzo's, which was a bit more rare for 12 to 13 year old Hyenas. Sweeney took a lot of pride in his teeth, since he was almost never seen without baring his teeth in either a grin or a scowl.

Their hut was nestled in an abandoned section of the clan's territory, looking something out of a junkyard. They didn't mind all that much as they were used to living in not-so-clean areas. The only way in was through a concealed hatch in the ceiling and you had to knock specifically to enter. They were currently playing a card game and cracking jokes at each other, as most kids around their age would usually do.

"I knock" said Laney, knocking her knuckles on the makeshift table. "Shit" Sweeney cursed under his breath. It was normal for Hyenas to swear as they lived in crude conditions. Not exactly horrible, but less than ideal compared to other people in Savannahville. "39" said Laney as she put out her cards. "22" said Sweeney, defeated. "Shit a brick" exclaimed Lonzo, who had the lowest number of the cards and was now reading from a magazine. This resulted in Laney and Sweeney cackling. "Lonzo's out!" Sweeney announced "Lonzo just bit the bag and stepped out the door!" before cackling again. Sweeney was always one for remarks like this.

Lonzo simply glared at his brother, although his spite didn't last long when he caught a glimpse of Sweeney's left ear behind his long hair. It was slightly burnt. While Lonzo and Sweeney were brothers to each other, they weren't exactly connected in that way. Lonzo's folks were still around, but the same can't be said for Sweeney. When Sweeney was younger, his mother had died and his father was a wreck, often given to fits of rage. At one point, he took a branding iron and stuck it to Sweeney's ear, almost completely damaging it. Thankfully, Lonzo's father had stopped him. Sweeney's father was banished from the clan and, since he and Sweeney had been good friends by that point, Lonzo and his parents took the latter in as one of their own.

Laney had heard this story from listening to other kids around the clan, as the brothers had bit of a reputation, but she didn't mind the vast difference between the two. After all, she liked Lonzo for his good-natured demeanor and she liked Sweeney for his sense of humor.

"I knock" the latter said, knocking his knuckles. Laney simply glared and remarked "You four-eyed pile of shit". Sweeney remarked back with a shit-eating grin "No, the pile of shit has a thousand eyes". Lonzo and Laney started snickering at this since it was more ridiculous than whatever Sweeney intended it to be. "What's so funny?" said Hyena asked with a confused look on his face "I've got 30. What have you got?"

"16" Laney managed out during her giggling, laying down her cards. "Go ahead, laugh it up" Sweeney sniped "You're down to your ride, pally". With that, they started to set up their cards for another round. They briefly stopped when they heard a knocking above them.

"That's not a secret knock" Lonzo called out to the knocking without looking at the hatch. "I forget the secret knock. Let me in!" responded a voice from outside. The three immediately knew who the knocker was.

"Keach" they all said simultaneously before opening the hatch.

In dropped Lonzo and Sweeney's younger brother Keach. Keach was also adopted into Lonzo's family after having been abandoned. He was smaller than his older brothers and had a more hunched stature. His hair was thin and just as messy as Lonzo's. He was also much thinner than Sweeney. A LOT thinner. To the point he was almost completely skeletal. Keach also wore concealing clothes as he had some defects in his body, which he was extremely self-conscious about.

Laney and the brothers met him when he was 6, wandering alone in the junkyard. They were at least a year older than him, but quickly grew a liking to him. It was actually Laney who suggested Lonzo's parents take him in, although it was bit of a joke at first. Regardless, Lonzo and Sweeney were happy to have Keach as a brother. And he was delighted to belong with them.

Keach looked a little out of breath, as if he had ran all the way to the hut, which usually meant something. "You're not gonna believe this" he said, panting for breath "Trust me, it's unbelievable. Just give me a minute to catch my breath. I ran all the way here from the den". That resulted in the other 3 singing "I ran all the way home", much to Keach's annoyance. "C'mon guys, this is great!" he whined. The other 3 didn't listen and continued with their teasing song. "Alright, fine" Keach said in mock defeat "I don't have to tell ya'll nothing" That got Laney's attention as she quickly told the other 2 to stop singing and asked what Keach was gonna say.

He was about to until they started singing again. "Screw you guys" he groaned "Forget it". "Ok, what is it?" Laney asked, this time having had enough fun. "Can you tell your folks you're sleeping in our yard for a while?" Keach asked her. Laney was a little taken-aback by this. "Probably, except my mom's been a little more strict with my training lately" was her response. "But you got to!" Keach exclaimed "You won't believe it!". Lonzo was still reading the magazine, paying only a little attention. Sweeney, on the other hand, was setting up for another round of cards. "So what are you pissing and moaning about, Keachy?" he snarked with an annoyed look on his face.

That changed to shock when Laney knocked her knuckles and said "I knock". "WHAT?!" he practically yelled "You liar! You don't have a pack hand!" "Make your draw, shit heap" was her response. It was also natural for Hyenas their age to talk a little smack to each other and call each other names, but it was for the sake of it and it was good fun. Keach then simply blurted out "You guys wanna see a dead body?".

That definitely got all 3 other Hyenas' attention as they looked in awe at Keach, wanting the whole story. "Well" he began "I was under the porch of that abandoned shack. You know? The one I hid those...?" They immediately knew what Keach was talking about. He had a jar of pennies buried under that house to avoid the older Hyenas getting to it. He even drew a map so he could find them again. However, the map disappeared. Whether one of their folks came in and threw it away or a gust of wind blew it away, none of them ever found out. Keach had been trying to find that jar for 6 months.

Keach had been digging under the porch when he heard footsteps above him and two voices talking to each other. Looking through the gaps in the floorboards, he saw it was two teenage males from the Wolf Clan. The Wolves and Hyenas had been rivals for a long time. The brothers had their fair share of scraps with Wolves, usually ones around 17 or 18. These two Wolves were Skeet and Barker. They were part of a gang of Wolf teenagers which served to pester and bully the younger Hyenas. They were easily hated by their victims. "C'mon, Barker, we gotta do something, man" Skeet said in a worried tone "Why?" Barker asked in an annoyed tone "Why should we?" "We saw him" answered Skeet. Keach was immediately interested in what they were talking about.

"So what?" Barker sniped "The kid's dead, there's nothing we can do about it. And who gives a shit if they ever find him? I don't". The two stepped off the porch, sending a bit of dust onto Keach below them. "But it's that kid from the Lionhearts" Skeet continued "Lyle or Pyle or Tyle, whatever his name is" Keach knew this was going to get interesting "The train must have hit him" finished Skeet. "Big fuckin' deal" Barker replied, lighting a cigarette. Keach followed the Lyle Lionheart story closely because the Lionhearts were the leading family of Savannahville. Lyle was the nephew of the current patriarch. From what he had heard, Lyle had gone out to the outskirts to pick rare herbs or something like that a few days ago, and no one had seen him since.

"I think we should tell the Lionhearts" Skeet suggested, earning an angered look from Barker "You don't tell the Lionhearts you found one of theirs dead in the middle of nowhere, you idiot. They're gonna wanna know what we were doing all the way down in Water Ridge Road. AND how we even got there in the first place. They know we don't have a vehicle. It's best to leave it be" "We could tell them anonymously" Skeet further suggested "They trace that stuff, moron" Barker sniped back "Trust me, they've done it before, they can do it again" "Whatever" Skeet finally breathed in defeat "I just wish we never boosted that truck. I wish Syke had been with us. We could tell them we were in his car" "WELL, HE WASN'T" Barker almost yelled. "We gonna tell him?" asked Skeet. Barker stared back at him and simply said "No. We're not gonna tell anybody. The kid's dead now and its a Lionheart. So who cares?" With that, the two left.

Keach couldn't let this go, so he ran all the way to the hut his brothers and Laney were. "I know Water Ridge Road" said Sweeney excitedly "It's out by the old watermill just outside Pride Town. The train tracks are right there. I remember dad taking us hunting out there one time" Lonzo nodded in agreement. "If those two knew you were under the porch, they would've killed you" Laney said to Keach, who nodded. "You think he really could have gone all the way from Pride Town to Water Ridge?" asked Lonzo "It's pretty far" "Sure" Laney answered matter-of-factually "He must have gone on the train tracks and followed them the entire way" "Yeah" Sweeney exclaimed in agreement "And then, after dark, trains comes along and SMACK". Keach hung his head, trying to imagine the scenario.

"Hey" Laney suddenly said, catching the brothers' attention "I bet you anything if we find him, the Lionhearts'll allow our clan to venture into Pride Town" "Yeah!" Sweeney agreed "We'll be heroes! And we'll earn our clan's freedom!" "I dunno..." Keach said, a look of concern on his face "The Wolves'll know I overheard them" "They're not gonna care" Lonzo said calmly "Because its gonna be us who'll find him, not Skeet or Barker or the boosted truck. Lionhearts might pin a medal on you, Keach" "You think so?" asked Keach, a smile forming on his face. "Sure thing, bud" replied his brother.

Keach's expression quickly changed back to concern. "But what do we tell our folks?" he asked. "Exactly what you said before" replied Lonzo "Huh?" was Keach's response. "Simple. We'll tell mom and dad we're sleeping over at Laney's and she'll tell her folks she's staying with us. It's a fool-proof plan" was what his older brother elaborated. "And we can tell them we're going to the races the next day. That way, we're good until tomorrow night" he further explained. "Now that's a plan and a half" Laney said. She really liked Lonzo's way of planning. His cleverness was also another reason she became good friends with him.

"But if we do find him, our parents'll know we lied to them about going to the races" Keach said, worryingly "We'll get hided". "No one's gonna care" Sweeney assured his younger brother "Because the clan's gonna be so pleased to be allowed into Pride Town, it's not gonna make a difference!" "Yeah" agreed Laney "I mean, my folks'll probably hide me anyway, but its worth a hiding" "Shit yeah!" exclaimed Sweeney. "Well, who's in?" she asked "Sweeney?" "Damn right" was her answer. "Lonzo?". "Sure". "Keach?". Keach looked much more unsure than his brothers "I dunno..."

"Keach" she pressed. "C'mon, Keach" Sweeney chimed in. "Keeeeach". He still hung his head in thought. This resulted in Lonzo putting is brother in a head lock and giving him a noogie while Sweeney pinched his cheek. That got him to agree to come along with an "Ok". This sent his brothers and Laney into an excitement fit. With that, their plan was set.

An hour later, Lonzo had told his parents that he and his brothers were staying over at Laney's for the night and going to the races the following day. His parents believed him fairly quickly. They knew that Lonzo and his brothers were great friends with the future matriarch and were pleased with that. They, of course told him to be back be tomorrow night, to which he agreed. He then gathered what they would need for the journey to Water Ridge. He also took a map of Savannahville. There were various maps in the colony, so they wouldn't miss at least one. He figured a map would be handy for picking the quickest route to Water Ridge, as well as one which preferably didn't require them to sneak through Pride Town, as the Lionhearts wouldn't allow them and most likely attack them on sight.

Hyenas weren't allowed to prowl in Pride Town due to their tendencies. The clan were cannibals, which meant they exclusively ate people, which was certainly not in line with the Lionhearts. So, the Hyena clan were banished into the outskirts and branded as outcasts and savages. They managed to build a colony within the outskirts, so they had a makeshift home. Although it was less than ideal due to fairly rough conditions, mainly a lack of sufficient food and proper shelter than what their makeshift sheds, huts or whatever could provide.

Lonzo pushed the Lionhearts out of his mind for now and went outside to meet Sweeney. Laney and Keach had left a little while ago to gather a few more essentials. They told him they would meet him and Sweeney at the tracks. Wandering into the exit of the colony, he saw his brother waiting for him. "Hey" he said to him. He said "Hey" in response. "You gotta check this out" Sweeney told him, an almost giddy demeanor about him. "What is it?" Lonzo asked. "C'mon" his brother insisted, taking him by the arm. "What is it?" he asked again, not in the exact mood to play games as they needed to get a move on. "Right here's good" Sweeney said after looking around. "Well?" Lonzo pressed. He was met with Sweeney's smug grin and him taking a handgun out of his bag. Lonzo's eyes immediately widened.

"You wanna be the Outlaw or the Kid?" his brother asked, handing the gun over to him. Lonzo was shocked. "Where did you get this?" he quickly asked, although he already had a good idea of what his answer would be. "Snatched it from the armory" was exactly what he was expecting. He sighed. Sweeney had bit of a habit for getting himself and his brothers into trouble and this was no exception. "You sure no one's gonna notice?" he asked him with a stern look on his face. Sweeney kept his smirk "Yeah. You know Cyrus?" he asked. "Yeah..." replied Lonzo. "Well, his dad'll just think he was shooting at bottles while he was drunk. Trust me. I also packed some bullets" Sweeney promptly explained. "That's a classic 1911 by the way" he told his brother. "I can see that" Lonzo sniped at him. Sweeney was often to remark at Lonzo being dumb, even though that was far from being the case. Lonzo wasn't exactly a fan of guns, but figured it might come in handy if they ran into trouble and decided to at least practice aiming it at a barrel nearby.

"Not bad. Good grip" Lonzo said before asking "Is it loaded?". "No, what do you think I am?" Sweeney responded with a a questioning look on his face. That quickly changed to shock when Lonzo pulled the trigger and the gun went off. "OH SHIT!" they both yelled before running off before anyone could see what the noise was. They ran for a sort while before reaching a clear area. Sweeney snickered a little bit at that little whoopsie. "That was great!" he laughed "You should've seen your face!". "You knew it was loaded, didn't you, you dumb bastard?!" Lonzo yelled at him in response "Now we might get in trouble if someone saw us". "Shit, they'll just think it was fire crackers" Sweeney calmly said. "I don't care. That wasn't cool, man. That was a foul trick, Sweeney" Lonzo promptly said with a disappointed look on his face. Sweeney's face quickly fell to a slightly regretful look. "Hey, Lonzo" he said, looking his brother in the face "I didn't know it was loaded".

Lonzo was skeptical. "You sure?" he asked, still with a stern look. "Yes" Sweeney replied with a sincere look. "You'll swear it on our folks' names even if they go to Hell because you lied?" Lonzo further pressed, wanting to make absolutely sure. "Yes, I swear" Sweeney said, a little upset. That convinced Lonzo his brother was telling the truth. He always used this tactic to tell if Sweeney was lying, which was fairly often. "Alright, man" he stated calmly, putting his hand on his brothers shoulder, earning a warm smile from Sweeney before they continued.

However, since they were outside the clan's territory, they ran into two Wolves on the way. They weren't Skeet or Barker, but they were much worse. The bully posse's leader Syke and his right hand Wicker. "Hey pests, where you goin'?" Wicker snarked at them. They ignored him before Syke stepped in front of them before grabbing an old watch from Lonzo's pocket. "My brother gave me that" he told the taller Wolf. "And now you're giving it to me" the Wolf snarled at him. Lonzo knew trying to snatch it back wouldn't do them any good and figured getting the Hyenas back into Pride Town would be a better victory to stick in the Wolves' faces. Sweeney, however, did not take this lightly and growled "You're a real asshole, you know that?" to Syke. Syke's face quickly changed to a mix between a smirk and a scowl. "This one's not very polite, ain't he, Wicker?" he asked his buddy. "Now nutball" Wicker teased the Hyena "I know you didn't mean to insult my friend" Sweeney didn't back down.

Wicker pressed "He only gets this way when he's hungry. I mean, who doesn't? I've practically got a hole in my stomach right now". Sweeney immediately snarked "Really? Cause it looks like you got a hole in your head" Syke stepped in front of him before Wicker could try to advance on him. "Don't sweat it, Wicker" he smugly told his friend "He didn't mean it after all" Wicker looked aghast at this. Syke kept his smug grin "That's why I'm giving him the opportunity of taking it back" Sweeney simply glared at him and didn't say a word. Syke, not one to back out, swiftly grabbed Sweeney by the head and pinned him to the ground. "Shit" the Hyena cursed in slight pain. "Take it back, bitch" Syke firmly told him. "Let him go!" Lonzo tried to intervene, but Wicker held him back.

"Take it back" Syke continued. He was met with a spiteful "Oh, go fuck yourself you bastard!" from his pinned prey. Syke's face immediately filled with rage and took a cigarette and lit it before taking off Sweeney's glasses, threatening to stick the cigarette in his eye. That got Sweeney to acquiesce. "Alright, I take it back!" he quickly screamed. Thankfully, that was all it took for Syke to stop. He then flicked away the cigarette and pulled Sweeney to his feet. "There. Now I feel a lot better" he proclaimed with a shit eating grin before walking away. Wicker walked after him, but not without saying "See you later, shit heaps".

Sweeney would've tried to attack him if Lonzo didn't hold him back and promptly said "Leave it" and gave him his glasses. With that, they continued on to meet Laney and Keach at the tracks to begin their journey. They were already there just like they said. Now their journey was set. Keach quickly took notice of the gun in Sweeney's hand. "What do we need a pistol for, anyway?" he asked. "It's risky sleeping outside Pride Town. You might see a boar or a bear. Or a barrel" replied Sweeney, raising an eyebrow at Lonzo with a half grin. Lonzo simply ignored him. "I brought a comb" Keach blurted out. "What do we need a comb for?" Laney asked amusingly. "If we're gonna break this to the Lionhearts, we at least wanna look good, don't we?" was Keach's answer.

"Smart thinking, Keach" Lonzo said sarcastically, but Keach wasn't well versed in sarcasm, so he didn't press the issue or anything. Sweeney took the opportunity to fake a punch at Keach, to which he flinched. "Two for flinching" his brother said, lightly punching him in the arm twice. They then saw the main track. "What's the best way, Lonzo?" Laney asked. "I reckon following the tracks for the most part. Should be around 20 or 30 miles" he answered "Could be longer, though" he added. "Maybe we should just hitchhike" Keach suggested. That idea got shut down quickly by the others. "That's not gonna work, Keach" Laney told him, a little sternly "Who knows who's driving along the roads near Pride Town?" "Yeah, and besides..." Sweeney added "that's a wuss move". Keach sighed. Sweeney was always one for a challenge. "But we could be at Water Ridge by sundown" he said, trying to convince them, but it didn't work as Sweeney simply said "Wuss move" and continued walking along the tracks. Keach took this as defeat, so he begrudgingly walked along with the others.

After a good 5 or so minutes or walking, they decided to sing a song they had heard around clan fires to lighten the mood. "My canteen's almost empty" Lonzo interjected during the second verse "We'll have to fill up at the junkyard. It's a safe well" "Not if Nestor's there" Keach quickly said. "If Nestor's there, we'll just send you in" Laney said, not wanting to listen to him complain. "Haha, very funny" he said sarcastically. He was good at stating it, just not at noticing it with others. He felt his stomach rumble and said "I'm kinda hungry. Who's got the food?".

That stopped the 4 dead in their tracks. "Shit" Sweeney cursed "Did anyone bring anything?" "Not me" said Laney "Lonzo?". "No" said Lonzo. "Well this is great" Sweeney said begrudgingly "What are we supposed to do? Eat our feet?". "You mean you didn't being anything either?" Laney asked him in exasperation. "Shit. This wasn't my idea. This was Keach's idea" Sweeney defended before turning to his brother "Why didn't you being something?!" he yelled at him. Keach's face went indignant "What am I supposed to do? Think of everything?" he defended "I brought the comb". Sweeney just grew irritated at this. "Oh, a comb! What do you even need a stupid comb for?! You barely even have any hair, you idiot!" he shouted. "I brought it for you guys so you could look good when we find him!" Keach countered.

Laney was in no mood for this. "Hey, hey, hey!" she yelled to the bickering pair "Let's see how much we have for trade". Money wasn't a strong suit for folks in the outskirts since Lionhearts didn't allow it. But they did manage to scrape up some here and there since Hyenas were great at scavenging. They also made up for money with items for trade. Anything worth while they found could be exchanged for almost anything. Mainly food and drink, which the four would need for this journey.

Sitting down, they fished out what they had in their pockets. "A few silver coins from me" Laney said. Lonzo handed her his pocket loot. "Coal stones and a ring from Lonzo". Sweeney smirked at the ring. "Planning on getting hitched early, Casanova?" he teased. Lonzo rolled his eyes and replied "Just turn out your pockets". Sweeney did so. "Chewing tobacco and fool's gold from Sweeney" Laney stated.

The latter grinned at this. He was always good for finding the good stuff. Lonzo gave him a disappointed look at the tobacco, since he figured he stole it. Although he did respect Sweeney's way of acquiring decent trading goods without being caught.

Laney looked over at Keach, who simply bowed his head, sighed and handed her his loot. She looked at it and gave him a bemused look. "10 pennies, Keach?" She asked him. "I haven't found that penny jar yet" he explained. "Well, this isn't too bad" Laney said at the amount of tradable items "Should be able to get at least around a day and a half's worth. And there should be a trading spot not too far from here".

Lonzo then looked behind, seeing an incoming train. "Train" he stated, signalling the others to move off the tracks. Keach was quick to move while Lonzo and Laney gathered their things before moving. Sweeney, however, stood in place, a daredevil look in his eye. Lonzo saw this and annoyingly said "Sweeney, c'mon, man". His brother simply shook his head slowly and stated "I can dodge it" with an overconfident smile on his face. The 3 knew Sweeney was up for crazy things, but this was pushing it.

"Sweeney, don't do this" Laney said, worry flooding her almost instantly. Keach looked almost mortified with his brother's recklessness. Lonzo piped up "Are you looking for a fucking death wish? Get off the tracks, Sweeney!". He didn't listen. And the train was getting closer. It felt like minutes as the train was coming towards Sweeney, but it was really seconds. Eventually, the train was about a few feet from reaching him.

Lonzo acted fast, running towards his brother and yanking him off the tracks, albeit with some resistance. Thankfully, Lonzo made sure to keep himself strong for when he would grow up. He and Sweeney were off the tracks in barely 5 seconds. Sweeney was writhing to get out of his brother's grip. "Get the fuck off me, ya spineless moron!" he yelled.

Lonzo kept his grip tight until the train finally passed. With that, he let Sweeney go and roughly turned him around to face him, staring him in the face.

"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK WAS THAT?!" he shouted "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO RECKLESS, YOU DUMB SHIT?! I SWEAR, SOMETIMES, YOU ARE SO FUCKED IN THE HEAD!". Sweeney glared through it all. "Oh please! I could've easily dodged it!"he countered "It's not my fault you don't have a spine!" Lonzo would've jumped him if not for Laney firmly gripping him, with Keach doing the same to Sweeney. "WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?!" she yelled at both of them.

That got their attention as Laney rarely yelled at them. Keach backed away a little, as he already knew his brothers were in for an ear storm. "I swear, you two are like 5 year olds" Laney groaned, rubbing her eyes in exasperation. Lonzo quickly settled down. Sweeney was about to say something, but was stopped when Laney shot a look at him. "And I swear you're as crazy as a dingo!" she scolded him "You could've been killed! It's like you have no idea when to back out! The next time you do this, don't expect any of us to save you", she practically growled that last sentence. Sweeney loosened his tense muscles, more affected by the disappointment on her face than her words or voice. He simply looked down. Laney sighed and signaled to Keach it was over, since he was covering his ears, avoiding the tirade she was having on his brothers.

Lonzo put his hand on Sweeney's shoulder. The latter simply looked at him for a few seconds before starting to walk. Lonzo stopped him and said "We'll let you do it on the way back" just to cheer him up a bit. Sweeney smiled a little. "Thanks. But I'm good" he said. With that out of the way, they continued to the junkyard.

Within at least 10 minutes, they reached their destination: The Honey Badger Junkyard. A fairly big space where scavengers could sneak in and snatch anything of value without getting caught by the owner, Tyson. The main concern was his pet, Nestor. Rumoured to be a beast of an animal; big as a boar (if not bigger) and as mean as a grizzly. If you stepped foot into that junkyard, you had to really keep an eye out for Nestor. The Hyenas had heard the stories, but had never actually seen the beast. And what they especially heard was that Tyson had trained Nestor to maul (or sic) certain parts of the body. That part of the rumours spooked them to say the least. To which they severely hoped they would not hear the phrase "Sic the bones", which meant they would be bitten well down to the bone and have said bone sicced out.

Lonzo lightheartedly teased "Hey Keach, I think your stomach's been on a spree again". It was natural for them to tease Keach on his appetite. "That's so funny, I forgot to laugh" he snarked. Sweeney simply tossed his bag over the fence. "Over the side, boys" he said before looking in Laney's direction. "And lady" he teased, said 'lady' rolling her eyes in response. Sweeney didn't notice as he was already climbing over the fence, Keach tagging behind him. Lonzo and Laney climbed over after the former two had dropped on the other side. Sweeney was already rushing about the place, searching for goods to snatch. Keach was simply looking for the well. "Sweeney's crazy" Laney remarked to Lonzo "He probably won't even live to reach 20". Lonzo shot her a look of disdain, not approving of the joke. She dropped it immediately.

"Remember that time you fished him from going over that waterfall?" she asked, changing the subject (kinda). "Yeah" he replied, that remembering look on his face "I dream about that sometimes. Only, in the dream, I only get a bit of his hair and down he goes". Laney was a little shocked, but quickly said "But you didn't miss" to lighten the mood. "You practically never miss" she followed up. She wasn't exactly wrong. Lonzo was really good with what he could do. You could toss the tiniest speck of stone at him and he would easily catch it. That lightened him up a little bit.

"Hey. Race ya to the pump" he said. She responded with "I dunno, I'm kinda tired". "C'mon, just to the pump" he insisted. She simply said "No, really. I am a little tire- GO!" before taking off like a bad cliche. "Oh, you're dead when I catch you!" he playfully called after her before running in her direction. Hyenas had to be good runners after all; otherwise the Lionhearts would catch and kill them pretty quickly. The kids were especially made to run by their folks. Lonzo was a straight runner, being one of the quickest. Sweeney was at least a second best behind him. Laney was a fair runner, too, but her training as future matriarch did hold it back a little bit. She was at least nearly as fast as Sweeney and a little more than Keach. But there was no way she could outrun Lonzo without some sort of head-start. Not that it mattered as he reached her within 5 seconds and was in front of her 2 seconds later. He was about a good few inches from her when they reached the pump; Sweeney and Keach waiting for them already. Laney caught up before having to catch her breath. Lonzo simply smirked at her, to which she returned a tired one.

A couple minutes later, the four had taken rest by a busted car near the pump, having filled their canteens up, and were now passing time by tossing stones at an exposed exhaust pipe of another car nearby. "Do you guys remember when Cyrus and Snowy got tangled up in the thorn bush?" Sweeney asked with a bemused smirk on his face. The other three either nodded or said "Yeah" in response, also smirking at the memory. "I swear, those two are getting real fuckin' dumb by the minute" he chuckled. "Not as much as Harmon is getting larger by the minute" Lonzo chimed in. That got them laughing. "Remember when he and Snowy were about to scrap and his mom came out?" Sweeney managed in between his fits of laughing "And-and he had a rash going on from that ivy plant the day before? And then she took his shirt off?! Pfffft!" before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Keach smiled wider at this. "Yeah" he said "She thought he was allergic to fabric. So he had to go around with no shirt on for a month!". "Heh... I swear, fucking with those boys is the best thing ever" Sweeney stated, now a little relaxed. Lonzo shot him a look of 'Really?' before saying "What about when Xerxes had you in a headlock because you bumped into him while scrapping with Harmon?". Laney giggled at that memory. She would not let Sweeney hear the end of that for a week. He glared at his older brother and gave him a simple "Fuck you". "Fuck you, too, bud" said brother calmly responded. Keach was having a blast.

"This is a really good time" he stated. "The most" said Laney. "A blast" said Sweeney. Lonzo said nothing as he simply looked at his brothers and best friend, all of them having the time of their lives. "What time is it?" Keach asked, pulling Lonzo out of his thoughts. He fished in his pocket before remembering Syke had taken his watch. Laney pulled out one of her own and read "Quarter after 1". "Better go get the food" Keach said, his earlier gleeful demeanor dropped in favor of concern "Junkyard opens at 3. And Nestor'll be here". Laney shivered at the name. "Sic bones..." Sweeney said quietly before turning to Keach "You go. You can pick us up on the way back". Keach refused quickly "I'm not going alone. We should all go". "I'm staying right here" Sweeney responded. "Yeah, I'm not going either, bud" Lonzo said. The three were already starting to argue before Laney sighed and told them "Hey, shut it. We'll flip for it", handing each of them one of her silver coins. "Odd one goes" she stated. "That's you, Keach. Odd as a cod" Sweeney teased. "Flip or eat dirt" was Keach's response.

They then flipped their coins, caught them and slapped them on the back of their hands. They held their hands out for all of them to see and removed their catching hands. All four of them had tails. "Four tails!" Keach exclaimed "That's a goocher". "Oh, COME. ON" Sweeney groaned "You seriously believe that garbage?". "No, man, I'm telling you" Keach insisted "A goocher is real bad. Real bad luck. I heard that a group of dingos were flipping for drinks, they got a goocher, got into a car and BANG! They all got totaled". Lonzo was rubbing his forehead at this point. "Keach" he firmly said "No one believes that stuff about moons and goochers. That's kid shit. Besides, Dingos are a bunch of dumb bastards anyway. It's more their fault than a stupid goocher". That shut Keach up, although he still kept his worried expression. "Flip again?" Laney asked, her coin at the ready. Lonzo and Sweeney nodded and flipped their coins, although Keach kept his hands still. "You gonna flip or not?" Sweeney pressed him. "C'mon, Keach, we don't have all day here" Laney told him. He sighed and flipped.

They removed their catching hands and- "You lose, Lonzo!" exclaimed Sweeney before cackling. Lonzo begrudgingly got up and made his way off to the trading spot. "Old Lonzo just scrrreeewed the pooch!" cackled Sweeney behind him. "Does the term 'fucked in the head' mean anything to you" Lonzo scowled back. "Sheesh, no need to be a dirt mouth about it" Sweeney remarked, still smirking. Lonzo simply ignored his brother, but did smirk a little when he heard Laney smack him in the back of the head and him yelling in slight pain. Lonzo and Laney had bit of a thing for knocking sense into Sweeney and Keach, literally and figuratively. Lonzo made extra sure to hit Sweeney hard whenever his brother annoyed the hell out of him.

After at least 20 or so minutes, Lonzo reached the trading spot. The proprietor simply looked at him as he entered, but didn't say anything. The proprietor, like virtually all traders in Savannahville, was a Weasel. Weasels were welcomed by the Lionhearts in Pride Town, but they did do shady business with folks in the outskirts, especially the Hyenas and Wolves. It didn't seem to bother them that they assisted outcasts, as long as it was good for business. Weasels can be a nefarious lot, sometimes, but they were good at what they do. Just provide them with the right goods, and they'll give you what you need in return.

Lonzo had all the group's trading goods in a bag, which he placed onto the counter. The proprietor took a few glances at the goods and grabbed a couple bags worth of food, at least a day and a half's worth; just what they needed. While giving Lonzo his goods, the proprietor looked at him and asked "Ain't you one of those Hyena Brothers?". Lonzo simply nodded. "I heard about you. And that you're friends with the matriarch's daughter" he continued, grabbing Lonzo's attention "You look like patriarch material, kid. You ever think of that?" he finished. Lonzo's response was a simple "No. I'm not cut out for that. Besides, she and I are just best friends". "You sure, kid?" asked the proprietor. "Yes" he stated, firmly. "Well, if that's what you reckon, then ok" was the Weasel's response. Lonzo then picked up the food and went on his way back. The Weasel looked at him as he walked away, a wondering look on his face, but put his thoughts away and went back to business.

Lonzo reached the junkyard at around 3:00 due to having to carry the food bags and their heavy weight. When he reached the spot the others were sitting when he left, they were gone. Searching around the junkyard, he saw them climbing over the fence. What he didn't see was Tyson glaring at him from behind. He wasn't even aware of the junkyard owner's presence until he heard a gruff "Hey kid!" behind him. It only took one glance for him to start bolting, heavy luggage be damned.

"Hey! Come back here!" he heard the owner yell after him "Come back here before I sic my pet on ya!". The other 3 Hyenas were yelling for Lonzo to run from the other side of the fence. "Nipper! Sic him!" Was what they hoping not to hear. And that got Lonzo to run much faster, practically right into the fence, and scaling it with 3 seconds. He had dropped on the other side when a Honey Badger had leapt into the fence, thankfully not high enough to climb.

Once it landed, the four a good view of the dreaded 'beast' they had heard countless rumours about. A simple small Honey Badger. It was so anti-climactic that they started laughing at just how pathetic the animal seemed. "THAT'S Nestor?" Laney asked in disbelief. She and Lonzo took this as a sign not to always trust rumours without proof. Sweeney was sticking his tongue out at the animal and teasing it. "Bite this, ya little shit!" he hollered, also flipping the bird at it "Sic the bones, Nest-pest!".

Tyson was running toward them within a minute. "Quit teasing 'im, ya lil' brats!" he yelled before reaching the fence. He glared at the four young Hyenas on the other side. He was particularly glaring at Sweeney. "I oughtta beat your ass for teasing my pet" he growled, not really fazing the Hyena all that much, who responded with "Yeah, why don't you climb that fence and come at me, fatass?!".

"Oh, you're one to talk, you little bastard orphan loony's son!" Tyson growled back. That shut Sweeney up as his previously devious face had faded to a look of nerve-struck. "What did you just call me?" he slowly asked. "I know you. You're that Sweeney kid" Tyson answered "Your dad's a loony. All the way in the madhouse in Stone Hill. He took a branding iron to your ear and almost burnt it off. Almost killed ya". Sweeney looked as if he was holding in the urge to rip the owner apart with his bare hands. Tyson spat on the ground before continuing. "No wonder you're a fuckin' psycho, with a loony for a father".

That hit Sweeney's nerves hard, to which he snarled "Call my dad a loony again, and I'm gonna rip your fuckin' head off". Tyson grinned sadistically before chanting "Loony, loony, loony". That set Sweeney off like a firework. It took all three of the others to stop him from going over the fence. He was blinded by rage at this point. "I'M GONNA RIP YOUR EYES OUT AND KNOCK OUT YOUR FUCKING TEETH!" he screamed at the owner, grasping onto the fence, murder intent on his face.

"Try it, you skinny bastard!" Tyson yelled back, further trying to get Sweeney over the fence. Thankfully, Lonzo was strong for his age and pulled Sweeney off the fence. His brother was fighting to get out of his grip real good. "He only wants you to go over there so he can beat the shit out of you and take you to the Lionhearts!" he managed to say while struggling to keep Sweeney still. "You watch it, smart mouth! Let him do his own fighting!" Tyson further antagonized. "Sure, you only weigh over 500 pounds, fat prick!" Laney scowled at him. "I know you" Tyson growled, pointing at her "You're the matriarch's daughter. I know all four of you. And your folks are gonna get a call from me". He grinned again before saying "Except for the loony up in Stone Hill". Sweeney immediately made a rush at him again. Lonzo reacted quickly, pulling him away before he could reach the fence.

"Sweeney, leave it!" he firmly said "C'mon, let's go!". "No one talks 'bout my old man, you bastard!" Sweeney continued to shout at Tyson as they left "You got no right, you shit bag! You are so fucking dead!". With that, they were out of sight. "Damn bastard Hyenas" Tyson scowled under his breath as he went back to his work.

10 minutes had passed and Sweeney had calmed down from the event. He was still very visibly upset, rubbing his eyes with his right hand, his glasses in his left. Lonzo had his arm over his shoulder to comfort him. Laney and Keach kept quiet, not wanting to possibly make the situation worse. Lonzo decided to break the silence. "You alright?" he asked his brother, who simply sniffed and nodded without looking at him. Lonzo looked at Laney, who was looking at Sweeney with concern on her face. Keach just looked ahead, not wanting to see his brother upset for much longer. Lonzo was deep in thought, as was Laney. They both wondered how Sweeney could be so upset at someone insulting his dad. His dad, who had nearly killed him and left him an orphan. They did not understand it one bit. Although they simply figured that he just didn't like having to be reminded of it. Lonzo remembered one time when a kid from the Wolves came up to Sweeney and asked him about his dad. The kid got both his arms broken, several teeth knocked out, a black eye & multiple bites and scratches. It was incredible the kid survived. Although he probably wouldn't have if Lonzo didn't interject at the last moment.

A few more minutes of walking, Sweeney had settled down. He was still a little upset, but not too much to stop going. He lagged behind a little bit before stopping in place. The others turned to face him. "Sorry if I'm ruining everyone's good time" he quietly said, looking down at the ground, as if ashamed by what happened. Laney walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. That got him to smile a little bit. Laney was always good to the brothers. She was like a sister to them sometimes. "It's alright" she said, patting her friend's shoulder. Lonzo's face dropped to concern. "Maybe this shouldn't be such a good time" he stated. Keach looked at him, confused. "You saying you wanna go back?" he asked. "No" replied his brother "It's just that..." he paused for a few seconds before sighing "We're going to see a dead kid. Maybe this shouldn't be a party" he finished grimly. The others looked at each other in solemn agreement.

Laney looked at her watch. An hour had passed since their junkyard encounter. "We better get moving" she said "If we're gonna find that kid before tomorrow night, we'll need to pick up the pace". The brothers nodded, moving with her at a faster pace. Too much had happened and they had barely made it halfway. They could only hope that they wouldn't run into any other problems. They also hoped that Barker and Skeet would keep their mouths shut.

But... Wolves' weren't exactly experts on keeping secrets...

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, got that out of the way. I'm gonna make this a two parter because this story is too big for one page. And yes, I know this is virtually Stand By Me. Sometimes, scenarios are more my strongsuit than a fully original story. So, please, just go with it.


	3. The Body (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing from the previous chapter since this is pretty long. And here's where the scars come in.

The four had been walking for almost 2 hours at this point and they were really getting tired. To pass the time, they had started singing one of the clan's campfire songs. After a full 5 minutes of singing, Sweeney and Keach were the only ones still going along with it. Lonzo and Laney had tagged back a little bit to talk.

"You think he's settled down?" Laney asked, glancing at Sweeney. "Yeah, I think he is" replied Lonzo "He's been pretty normal since the junkyard, actually. Hasn't even made one remark". Laney took a glance at Hyena they were talking about. He was still in the moment with Keach. "Could be worse, I suppose" she shrugged "At least he's in a good mood after what happened back there. He was ready to tear the bastard's throat out with his teeth". Lonzo grimaced at that.

"Should find somewhere to sleep before dark" he said, wanting to change the subject. She nodded silently. They quickened their pace to catch up to Sweeney and Keach. "Sheesh, and I thought Keach was a slow poke" the former greeted. Laney gave Lonzo a deadpan "He's back" in response, earning a smirk from him in return. Keach simply shot Sweeney a look. "C'mon, by the time we get there, the kid won't even be dead anymore" the latter smirked.

It felt like hours before they reached a bridge. "We have to cross that?" Keach groaned. "Sorry, bud. But this is the best possible way and going back and around could take all day" Lonzo tried to comfort his brother. Keach wasn't a big fan of heights, but, since Hyenas had to rely on more than ground tactics for hunting and survival, he would have to grow out of it eventually.

"When do you think the next train's coming?" Laney pointed out, noting it had been quite some time since they had seen a train. "Dunno. Could be any time" shrugged Lonzo "But we can't potentiality wait for an hour or go back for another route. We'll have to take our chances". Keach's jaw had dropped at this. "And if the train comes?" he asked. "We can jump" Sweeney suggested. "Sweeney" sighed Laney, holding a hand between her eyes "It's a 100ft drop". "We could climb down" he retorted. "Look, let's just get on the bridge. If we can get halfway, we can outrun the train if it comes". The other three looked at each other in silent discussion. Laney and Sweeney nodded, while Keach just threw his arms up, giving up.

"Alright, it's agreed" Lonzo announced "Now let's get a move on". They were now crossing the bridge, taking careful steps with the wooden boards since there were fair gaps in between they could slip a foot through. Keach only made it a quarter before feeling woozy, having to look down to watch his stepping. Lonzo quickly caught him and opted to carry him by the shoulder. Laney and Sweeney were halfway at this point while Lonzo was at least a third since Keach was slowing him down a bit.

Within 2 minutes, they had reached halfway. However, Lonzo's ears caught the sound of an engine and even felt a slight vibration with his foot. He took a look behind him and saw a train emerging from the tree line. "TRAIN INCOMING!" he shouted. That woke Keach out of his queasy state instantly. "Oh shit!" he cried before making a dart out of Lonzo's hold. He was fast when he wanted to be, Lonzo gave him that. Laney and Sweeney had reached the other side and were calling for the other two to hurry up. Lonzo took off running after Keach. However, Keach had slipped a foot through a gap on the boards and was stuck in place. "Shit!" was Lonzo's response as he rushed over to his brother to pull him out. Keach was hyperventilating at this point and looked like he was gonna pass out. Thankfully, Lonzo was the strongest of the brothers and pulled him out within a few seconds.

Unfortunately, Keach had to try and run with a limp, which severely slowed them down. The train had reached halfway while the Hyenas were only 3 quarters of the way. Lonzo knew they couldn't outrun the train at this stage, so he would have to do something really crazy to avoid getting run over. Laney and Sweeney were observing the tense moment, looks of pure horror on their faces. Sweeney was practically biting his fingers. Lonzo and Keach kept on running until they were only several feet away. However, the train was a good few inches away from them. It was now or never.

Lonzo promptly grabbed Keach and, with the train an inch away from them, flung themselves off the right side. Laney and Sweeney had their jaws open in absolute shock and horror when they saw this. They waited for the train to pass before speeding over to where Lonzo and Keach had fallen. They were in a heap. They had fallen at least around 15 feet. Thankfully, not too severe as they were still moving and groaning. Lonzo was most likely bruised around the side as he was clutching his arm, hissing in pain a little. Keach, however, was still laying down where he had fallen, groaning in pain and dizziness.

Laney and Sweeney rushed down to help them up. Lonzo had bruises on his arm and ribs, but nothing too bad. Laney had thankfully brought first aid. Lonzo looked at his wounds: several dark bruises on his left side and a couple cuts. When he saw Keach, however, he felt an instant flood of dread flow through him. "Oh shit..." was all he could say as he looked at his brother. Keach had it worse than Lonzo. No broken bones, but he had hit the back of his head on a rock and was quivering like mad. Laney observed the damage. Keach's left eye looked dead and it was clear he had suffered some brain damage from the fall. "Keach" Laney spoke to him "Keach, speak to me". It was clear she was increasingly worried.

Keach took a while to gather any words. "W-w-w-what hap-p-pened? he stuttered before whimpering in pain. Laney concluded that Keach had damaged his speech centre pretty bad. Not to mention the back of his head was bleeding. She quickly wrapped his head in bandages, covering the back of his head entirely and his left eye. Sweeney was staring in shock at how damaged Keach was from the fall. Lonzo felt like he was gonna be sick. Keach might have been permanently damaged and it was his fault. The guilt had quickly hit him as he doubled over, Sweeney catching him quickly. Laney looked over at them. She wanted to yell at Lonzo with all her might. She really did. But, if he didn't do what he did, he and Keach would be dead.

They would deal with it later. What mattered was patching Keach up and finding a place to rest. Sweeney helped the shaking Keach to his feet and held him by the shoulder. Laney went over to help Lonzo, but he refused and slowly made his own way up. It was clear he was wracked with guilt from this. She kept near him in case he needed help. Sweeney looked over at his brother, a mix of shock and malice in his eyes. He looked as if he wanted to pounce Lonzo and tear him apart. Lonzo didn't say anything during the walk. At least 10 minutes later, they found a good spot to sleep, as it was getting dark and they needed to rest.

They all settled down and set out their sleeping bags. Keach had stopped quivering and whimpering thanks to Laney. She looked as if she was about to break down at his appearance. Face covered in bandages like he was deformed. And unable to speak properly. Sweeney was seriously fighting the urge to attack Lonzo, who was staring at Keach, a blank expression on his face. Keach met his eyes and got up to comfort him. He was a little upset at potentiality losing his ability to talk fluently for the rest of his life, but he was still thankful for Lonzo saving his life. He only hoped Sweeney and Laney wouldn't be enraged, not wanting their group to split up permanently. Laney looked at the two, deciding it was best for them to settle things between each other first before talking to them. She looked at Sweeney, who had murder in his eyes staring at Lonzo.

About 9 in the afternoon, everything had settled down. Lonzo and Keach had gone off to wash themselves off at a nearby pond. Lonzo took the opportunity to talk to Keach. "I'm sorry, Keach" he glumly apologized "I don't know what I was thinking. I feel like shit. Fuck me". Keach looked at him in surprise. He looked as if he was going to break down. "It's f-fine, Lonzo" he said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder "B-b-better hurt t-than d-d-d-dead". Lonzo was not letting this go easy, still feeling guilty. "But I may as well have damaged you forever! I could've killed you, too!" he cried at him, tears starting to form. Keach's eye was feeling wet, too. "I-it can't be t-t-too b-bad. M-might be a n-n-new l-l-l-l-look for m-me" he countered, wanting to make light of the situation "B-besides, y-y-you saved my l-l-life. T-t-that's en-n-nough for m-me". "Are you sure about this?" Lonzo questioned "Look, Keach. I know you're trying to make me feel better. But I did this. Intentional or not, I can't forgive myself for this. You're my brother for fuck's sake"

"P-perhaps not" Keach sighed "But t-that does-sn't m-m-mean you s-should let this h-h-haunt you fore-ever, bud". Lonzo lowered his head in thought. He stayed this way for a straight 6 minutes before sighing. "Alright bud, I'll think about it. But just know this isn't going to leave me. This is going to my grave with me. Got it?" he firmly said. Keach smiled "A-as long as you a-a-and the o-others are good w-w-with t-this, I'm g-g-good too" he replied. Lonzo gave him a sad smile before pulling him into a hug, which he promptly returned. "I'm sorry I got you into this, bud" Lonzo apologized again. Keach giggled a bit. "I g-got you into t-t-this f-first, r-rememb-ber?".

Unknown to the two, Laney had been watching to keep an eye on them. She smiled to herself, happy that nothing was rotten between them. She would need some time to fully clear things with this, but this was good enough for the time-being. The real trouble would be whether or not Sweeney would be willing to even talk to his brother. She figured if he was too stubborn to do so, she would force him into it. And he would have to do as she said as she was future matriarch. She just hoped his temper wouldn't foul things up between him and Lonzo.

Back at their sleeping spot, Sweeney was sitting by the fire they had set up and looking around. His brothers had left to wash up a while ago and Laney had been gone for almost as long. He didn't really want to think about Lonzo after what happened, but it was stuck to the forefront of his mind. For the most part, he wasn't up for speaking with Lonzo, still a bit angry with Keach's injury. He figured Laney would try to talk them into making up eventually. She was more calm about it than he was; something that both fascinated and enraged him. How could she seemingly forgive Lonzo so quickly and easily? She had a right to be pissed at him.

He then threw the thought out of his head as it was giving him a headache. He thought about looking for the others, but decided not to. Instead, he simply sat there and stared into the fire in front of him. That gave him some time to relax with his thoughts. Anything but Keach's condition and being pissed at Lonzo would do. The times they had snuck off to their hut. The amount of mischief they got into with other Hyena kids. Chatting with the clan mystic, Joanne. Even the day he once fished another kid out of the river.

He fondly remembered that day. He was searching around for buried goods with a metal detector Lonzo let him borrow when he bumped into another Hyena around his age. They chatted a bit and split. Some time later, he saw that the kid was drowning in the river nearby and no one seemed to notice. Without even thinking, he climbed along the rock wall until he was close enough and dived into the water. He fished out the kid, brought him to land and into his folks' arms. The kid lived and they had been best friends ever since. (That's a story for another time).

He was shook out of his thoughts when someone tackled him. He looked up to see it was Keach, who was cackling. "You sonuva-! You scared me shitless!" he exclaimed. "G-got you g-g-good too" Keach stammered proudly, despite the stutter. Sweeney looked at his brother and it was new to see Keach this way. Face almost covered in bandages and only his right eye, nose and mouth exposed. Keach didn't seem to mind it too much and even looked a little energetic, hopping around the place and giggling. Sweeney was a little concerned that the rock to the back of his head had possibly unhinged him a little bit. Although, Keach was oddly more enjoyable to be around in this state. He wasn't quivering or complaining about something stupid like he almost usually did. It was like the barrier to Keach's fun side had broken. Sweeney couldn't help himself but chuckle at the sight. Keach being this giddy was pretty amusing after all.

Lonzo and Laney arrived a little later and chuckled with him at the sight of Keach. After a good 15 minutes, he had settled down and they all were sitting around the fire, cooking their food. They were really hungry at this point and the meat they got from the trading post was worth it. They didn't have a pan or anything like that, so they crudely held their food over the fire and allowed it to cook like a marshmallow. Sweeney decided to break the silent tension and try to lighten the mood. "That was a spectacular train dodge" he absentmindedly blurted out. Lonzo and Laney shot him a look, but he didn't seem to notice. "Keach, you were so scared, you looked like Vern when he saw a pack of Wolves" he giggled. It was clear he was trying to get past the incident, to which Lonzo and Laney settled down. "I was-wasn't th-that s-s-s-scared" Keach stuttered indignantly. "Oh really?" Laney chimed in "Then maybe we should check your pants", earning a small cackle from Sweeney. "Go s-screw" Keach sniped at her. "Keach, you better move yours" Lonzo said, gesturing to his meat on a stick. "I l-like d-d-doing it this w-way" he countered. "Ok fine" was what Lonzo responded. Karma struck instantly as the meat plopped off the stick and into the fire.

That got the other three to burst out laughing. Keach groaned "Aw, no! Y-you got an-another one, L-Laney?". Laney didn't answer as she was too preoccupied with not laughing herself to death. Sweeney remarked "Why don't you cook your dick? I mean, it'd be a small meal" before he burst out laughing again. Keach simply stuck his stick into the meat that had fallen off and managed to grasp it. He let out a triumphant "HA! S-screw you, I g-got it" before eating it. Their meal time had lasted a good 30 minutes thanks to what they got from the trading post. After they were finished, Sweeney handed them some smokes, which he also snatched back at the colony. Nothing was better than a good smoke after dinner.

There was another silence as they looked at each other. Conversation was the only way to break it and they could just talk about virtually anything, even about back home. It went through topics about the other Hyena kids, their folks, the Lionhearts and even the Wolves. None of them mentioned Lyle Lionheart. It was almost as if they had forgotten about it. They had been chatting for what seemed like ages and, when they saw it was really dark, they had to get some sleep. However, the sounds from the surrounding woods kept them awake. They proposed then and there they would take turns keeping lookout. Lonzo took the first watch while the other 3 slept, silently thankful they had brought a gun.

It was about an hour before he felt tired and woke up Sweeney, handing him the gun. Sweeney spent most of his hour watching his brothers and Laney stir in their sleep. Especially Keach. As soon as his eyelids were close to drooping, he woke Keach up and dropped asleep in his sleeping bag. Keach kept on edge during his hour, but nothing happened. After his hour was up, he gently shook Laney awake and quickly got to sleep. Laney took well over an hour on her shift, spending most of it thinking to herself. Most of it was concerning her becoming matriarch of the clan. She figured it was unavoidable, but that didn't mean she was nervous about it. What if she and the brothers never saw each other again when she took over? What if they would move on while she was stuck in the colony? She cared about the clan and was willing to do anything to help them all, but she didn't want to potentiality lose her best friends.

Her folks had mixed feelings about the brothers. Her mother seemed ok with it, as long as it didn't interrupt her training. Her father didn't seem overly fond of them, often calling them troublemakers, which, to be fair, they often were. But that was part of the fun. They had been through a ton of shenanigans and she had plenty of fond memories because of that.

Not to mention, she had caught on to their mischief making as she made them sneak into Pride Town with her just for a few glimpses. They at least managed to roam around the suburbs before a group of Lionheart guards chased them away. They had done this sneaking game at least 4 times. The fourth time (5 years ago), it was the patriarch who caught them. And Salvatore Lionheart was truly one to be feared by Wolves and Hyenas alike. That encounter scared them out of sneaking back into Pride Town again.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sounds of Lonzo stirring in his sleep. He seemed to be having a pretty active dream. She continued to look at his sleeping form. He looked oddly peaceful when he was asleep. That changed a minute later as it looked like his dream was getting intense. After two minutes, he woke up with a start. "You ok?" she asked. He looked at her, breathing heavily. "Yeah" he replied wearily. She offered him to sit next to her, to which he did since he was awake now and she must have been tired. She was a light sleeper thanks to her mother after all.

"You think this'll settle things with us and the Lionhearts?" he asked as he was sitting down. "I hope so" was her quiet reply "The clan needs it after all". Lonzo noticed a look of slight worry on her face. "You nervous about being matriarch?" he casually asked. She silently nodded. Lonzo knew this was a concern of hers, so he usually backed out of talking to her about it. However, they were doing something pretty big and a lot had happened, so it couldn't really hurt. "What do you think it's like?" he asked "Being matriarch, I mean". "Difficult, stressful, demanding. What do you think?" was her answer. She sounded a little agitated as if it was a dumb question. "Sorry" he apologised. "You don't have to say sorry, you're just curious" she stated.

Lonzo decided to really talk. "Well, that and you're our best friend. And friends look out for each other, don't they?". Laney gave him a somber look. "Not if they move on" she grimly said. "What do you mean?" Lonzo asked, confused. "Think about it, I'm gonna be stuck in the clan as matriarch and you guys are gonna move on away, doing your own shit". That answer struck Lonzo by surprise a little bit. Laney wasn't one for being like this. Gloomy and pessimistic. "Why would we wanna leave? We've been with the clan our whole lives. And there's no way we'd leave you" he firmly told her. She sighed. "You sure? I mean, I have to do what I have to, but I don't wanna lose you guys along the way. You three have been the light of my life for a long time..." she stated before stopping, looking as if she was going to break down.

Lonzo immediately had his arms around her to comfort her. "Hey, don't worry. It's natural for you not wanting to leave us. We don't want to either. Besides, you've got plenty of time to prepare" he offered. Laney didn't smile or even look at him. He didn't know what to say next. He then heard her sniffling. Before he knew it, she was crying into his shoulder. He could only hug her. It took 5 or so minutes before she settled down, having let some steam out of her system. She then looked at him and asked him an odd question. "You hear what the other kids say about us?".

"No... What do they say?" he inquired. "They say you and me are a fit for each other" she explained "Say you're gonna end up as patriarch next to me. Hell, that Shelley bitch came up to me and called you 'my king'. Socked her in the nose for that" before chuckling slightly at that last memory. Lonzo was a little taken aback. "Well, can you see it?" he asked. In truth, he couldn't. To him, Laney was like a sister and it seemed very unlikely they would end up together. "No" she answered "You three are like my brothers. Well, idiot brothers, really" she giggled the last part. Lonzo was sighing in relief in his head. He really didn't want to upset her if she did see them as being together.

"Besides, I know you have your sights on that Luna girl" she teased, trying not to laugh at his flustered reaction. Lonzo was good at keeping secrets, but Laney was also good at spotting it. Lonzo didn't say anything, stuck in a flustered state. Laney was finding this hilarious. He snapped out of it after a while. "What about you?" he asked, now curious "Anyone you have a fancy too?". She simply shook her head and said "Nah. Although my folks may try to force it when the time comes". Lonzo was now interested in their conversation. "Hey, whatever happened between Sweeney and that Ruby girl? They seemed to really hit it off" he asked. She shrugged. "Dunno. It's like she disappeared. All I know is that she was arguing with her dad when he found Sweeney in their hut and I haven't seen her since".

"Think Sweeney's a little down about it?" Lonzo asked, looking at his sleeping brother. "If he is, he's done a great job hiding it so far" she replied. They then felt a little awkward as they were now discussing topics which would be a big thing later in their lives. Lonzo was thankful they hadn't talked about the more 'sensual' stuff. But, as if she had read his mind, she said "Remember when we walked in on Xerxes in the pond?". Lonzo groaned at that memory. She giggled and continued with the details and asking if he had seen one of the girls in that spot. "This is gonna be a long night..." he groaned in this mind.

He was startled awake by the sound of a passing train. He looked around and saw the others in their sleeping bags. He must've dosed off while he and Laney were chatting. She also must've gone into her sleeping bag while he was dosed off. She looked at him and shot him a grin, reminding him of their awkward conversation last night. Sweeney and Keach looked well rested as they were packing up their bags like nothing. "W-what t-t-time is it?" Keach asked. Laney looked at her watch. "8:23" she said. They had plenty of time to get to Water Ridge and back before dark. After packing up everything, they continued following the tracks. They walked on for about a couple hours, eating some leftovers along the way. Eventually, they saw the border between them and Water Ridge Road.

The Valleyway. It was called that since it was a heavily wooded area and folks had been known to travel through its various paths. "Here it is" Lonzo stated. Sweeney looked at the tracks. "Tracks go far away from here" he said "We cut through here, we can get to Water Ridge in maybe half in hour. Sound right to you, Lonzo?". "Yeah, map's correct on that" was his brother's reply. Keach looked slightly uncertain. "I th-think we sh-sh-should stick-k to the t-t-tracks" he said. "Keach, if we stick to the tracks, it could take hours to get to Water Ridge Road" Lonzo told him sternly. Laney nodded in agreement. "Cut through?" she asked the brothers. "Cut through" was Lonzo and Sweeney's answer. Keach looked at them and the Valleyway before mumbling "C-cut through". With the vote unanimous, they sped off down the hill to the Valleyway.

After stepping foot into the damp woods, something didn't feel right. The place was quiet. Too quiet...

They kept that uneasy feeling out of their minds for the first several feet before Lonzo felt something under his foot. "Stop a second" he said to the others, who stopped and looked at him. He looked down. His foot was on top of what looked like a strand of rope, but it wasn't slack. Lonzo had seen this before within the outskirts, usually near Fox territory. He immediately looked up and above him was a wooden branch sharpened into a stake. "Oh shit..." he breathed before yelling "FOX TRAPS!". The others immediately started running as soon as the spikes started swinging at them. They had ran in different directions, managing to set off more traps behind them, huge logs swinging at them and spikes falling from the trees behind them. Keach had slipped down a small drop and quickly spotted a wooden frame with stakes springing at him. Acting fast, he jumped out of the way just in time. The others weren't having as much luck. Sweeney had slipped though a hole covered by greenery and would have fallen into the stakes below if he hadn't gripped a tree root sticking out from the ground. It was thankfully sturdy and, with some effort, he pulled himself out of the hole, collapsing on the ground, panting heavily.

Laney had managed to avoid her set of traps and had stopped after it seemed that there were no more near her. What she didn't see was another rope on the ground, which she stepped on without knowing. That caused a stake to launch at her. She would have been impaled if not for Lonzo bounding out of the greenery and tackling her out of the way. This caused them, however, to topple down a dirt hill nearby. They tumbled down for what felt like minutes, although it was only seconds, before they landed on a flat surface of land. The two were sprawled out on the ground, panting. Before long, Sweeney and Keach arrived and found them, quickly darting down the dirt hill to help them up. Laney was a little shaken, but no injuries were sustained in the tumble. Lonzo slowly got up on his own.

And then he felt a stinging pain in his chest area. What he saw made him want to vomit. There was a small wooden shard embedded in his torso, and fairly deep. Thankfully, just between the heart and lung. "Oh shit..." he whispered "Oh shit...". He was shaking at this point, having never been stabbed before. The others looked at him and their faces immediately filled with horror. Still shaking, he pulled the shard out of his chest, causing some blood to spurt out and getting a bit on his fingers. After it was removed, he dropped the shard and simply stared at his blood soaked fingers in shock. With that, he collapsed.

"Shit, Lonzo!" Sweeney exclaimed, running to his brother's side, the others following suit. "You ok, Lonzo?" Laney asked him, hoping for an answer. "I-is he d-d-dead?" Keach stuttered, worry all over his face. "He's not dead. He's still breathing you idiot" Sweeney sniped at him. "W-well I d-d-don't kn-know!" Keach retorted. "Cool it, guys" Laney said to the two "He just fainted". It was very surreal for them to see Lonzo in this position. He was the tougher of the four and stood up for them the most. But, this was also their first sight of blood. And it was Lonzo's blood at that. Laney picked up her first aid quickly and bandaged Lonzo's wound, stopping it from bleeding any further.

"N-n-never s-saw someo-one f-f-faint bef-fore" Keach stammered quietly. "Maybe he made a mistake and looked at your face" Sweeney snarked. "Sweeney, knock it off" Laney sternly said to the latter before looking back at Lonzo, who was stirring and groaning a little, which meant he was waking up. "You ok?" she asked him, concern heavy in her voice. He simply nodded. He looked immensely pale and ill. Thankfully, they still had some leftovers from the trading post. Laney gave him what was left as well as half the water in her canteen. What managed to get some colour back in Lonzo's face. He shakily stood up, with some help from the others, and they helped him to a more clear area.

Reaching the outside of the Valleyway, they decided to let Lonzo rest by a tree. Laney looked at him with a very concerned expression. That brought a suggestion to her mind. "Maybe we should take Lonzo back" she stated said suggestion. Sweeney's face was bewildered at this. "Oh great, miss future matriarch, now you're going wussy too" he snapped. Laney snapped back at him, clearly irritated with his tone "What's your problem? He had a stake next to his heart, he fainted". "What are you, his mother?" Sweeney sniped. That really got her mad. "Eat shit" she snarled at him. "You eat shit" he barked back. That caused to the two to start fighting. Or at least they would be fighting if Keach didn't intervene and stood between them. "HEY" he firmly spoke "I th-think Laney is r-r-right. W-we should g-get out of h-h-h-here".

Sweeney had an amused look in his face, with a mix of smugness. "OH!" he exclaimed "What a surprise! The king of the wussies wants to bail too! Who'd have fucking guessed?!". Keach was getting irritated with Sweeney's teasing and snark. "S-stop calling me th-that" he tried to firmly say, but his stutter got in the way. "Or what, wussy?" Sweeney further snarked. "S-stop it" Keach said, growing further angered. "Wussy". "S-stop-". "Wussy, wussy, wussy!". That finally got Keach to snap. "You four-eyed psycho" he growled before tackling his brother to the ground and started throwing punches at him. Laney tried to pry him off, but his anger was making it difficult. While this was going on, Lonzo silently said "Stop it". They didn't hear him, and, now glaring at them promptly yelled "KNOCK IT THE FUCK OFF!", which stopped the others in their tracks.

His glare was enough for them to freeze in place. Ignoring the stinging in his chest, he stood up and firmly spoke "We're not going back", before starting to continue on walking. The others almost seemed to have forgotten their ruckus, although not entirely. "Idiot" snarled Sweeney. "Sh-shut up, fuck stick" Keach countered, getting off his brother. Laney simply said nothing. With that out of the way, they picked up their supplies and followed Lonzo along. The main thing on his mind was Lyle Lionheart. It was practically all he could think about at this point. Even to the point where, even if no one else would go with him, he would still continue on.

It took a long 10 minutes before they reached the train tracks, which only meant one thing. "Water Ridge Road" Lonzo stated. The others were somewhat immersed. After so long and so much, they had finally made it. All that was left was to find the body. "Me and Laney'll go on the left, you and Keach go on the right" he said to his brother "Holler if you see him". They then got on their respective positions before searching.

It only took a minute before Laney called out "I see him! Over here!". The brothers ran over to where she was and saw she was pointing at a spot near the river. They were look at a slightly concealed pair of legs. They knew right then and there was the dead body of Lyle Lionheart. They had actually found it.

Rushing over to fully see it, they saw the body was covered with shrubbery. Lonzo snapped off the stick from a nearby tree and lifted off the shrubbery. It was then that they saw the face. Pale, covered in blood, missing a couple teeth and above all, lifeless. Looking at the kid's dead eyes made them stand in place, as this was their first time seeing a fully dead person. As to be expected, the first time was the hardest.

"Let's get some branches and build him a stretcher" Sweeney said quietly, breaking the silence, before going off to pick some branches. Keach followed him. Lonzo simply stared at the dead boy. Laney was doing the same. To them, this was going to be one memory they would hold for the rest of their lives. Then, a slight feeling of dread flooded the both of them. They wanted to help the clan, but now that they saw what they had been traveling around Savannahville for over an entire day, it didn't seem like the victory they were hoping for anymore...

They were snapped out of their thoughts by the sound of a car pulling over nearby. A moment later, they saw the last thing they wanted to see.

Syke.

No doubt Barker and Skeet couldn't keep their mouths shut and they had driven here. Syke glared at the two. "Well, what a fuckin' surprise" he sneered. Wicker joined him a second later. He also looked appalled at the sight of the Hyenas. "Sonuva bitch..." he growled "You little pipsqueaks...". Sweeney and Keach had come back before stopping in their tracks at the sight of the Wolves. "The fuck are you doing here?" the former snarled at them, earning a death glare from Wicker. "We're here for the body. What else do you think we're here for, shit-stick?" Syke growled. "You're not taking him, we found him first" Laney firmly told them. "Oh dear" Syke said in mock defeat "We better back off, Wicker. They found him first". That got them chuckling evilly at the Hyenas.

"Back off. You came in a car, that's not fair" Laney argued, not willing to let these two bastards get the body. "That's not fair" Wicker repeated her words in a mock impersonation "Well not anymore, so scram" he finished with a snarl. "There's four of us, Wick-dick. Make your move" Sweeney challenged. "Oh, don't worry, we will" Syke grinned, snapping his fingers. That was a bad sign the rest of Syke's gang showed up immediately afterward. Barker and Skeet were among them. The latter took notice of Keach. "The fuck happened to the freak?" he questioned, pointing at said Hyena. Keach grimaced at this. "None of your fucking business is what happened, maggot mouth" Sweeney defended his brother.

Barker, upon spotting Keach, grew livid. "Keach, you little fucker..." he growled "YOU WERE UNDER THE PORCH!". He then started to advance towards his prey. "N-no, I s-swear! I-it wasn't m-me!" Keach tried to defend himself. It didn't help, as to be expected. Skeet was also on his way to pummel the younger Hyena. "Little stuttering deformed skinbag. I ought to rag the shit outta you" he snarled. That got Keach running off. Not that it mattered since Syke snapped his fingers, stopping the two Wolves in place. He then stared Laney in the face.

"Alright, you little bitch" he threatened "Give us the fuckin' body or we beat the shit out of you and take it ourselves". Laney stood her ground and sneered "Why don't you go home and fuck your mother some more, momma's boy?". That got Syke absolutely livid with rage. "That's it" he he growled before pulling out a knife "You're fuckin' dead". He then slowly made his way towards her. Sweeney quickly tried to pry her away, but she firmly stood in place.

"C'mon Laney, leave it" he whispered urgently, a look of slight panic on his face. "We're not letting them take him" she said in a no-backing-down tone. Syke was now halfway towards her with his knife raised. Sweeney was now tugging her with all his might, but she wouldn't budge. "He's got a knife!" he stressed to her before backing away when he saw Syke was about a foot away. "You're gonna have to kill me" she said to the enraged Wolf. "With pleasure" he said with sadistic glee. He then grabbed her by the shoulder and raised the knife to her throat.

Just as the blade barely touched her skin, the tense silence was abruptly cut short by a *BANG*.

Quickly looking where the sound came from, he saw that Lonzo had the handgun raised in the air, smoking from the barrel. The Hyena then pointed the gun at the Wolf with a focused look of malice on his face. "Drop the knife, Wolf" he spoke with venom in his voice. Said Wolf let Laney go, but didn't drop the knife. "Why don't you give me that gun before you blow your fingers off?" he countered. Lonzo didn't back down and continued pointing the gun in the Wolf's direction.

"You're not taking the body. No one is" he firmly stated. "That so?" Syke snarked "As if you can shoot me. You don't even have the guts to break a meerkat's neck". Lonzo simply pulled back the hammer and said "Try me, you cheap-skate cocksucker" with murder in his eyes. Syke backed off a little bit. "Now what? You gonna shoot all of us?" he tried to intimidate the Hyena. Said Hyena was unaffected and simply replied "No. Just you", now fully aiming the gun for between the Wolf's eyes. That finally weakened his resolve. "We're not gonna forget this, pest" he sneered. "I don't doubt it" was the Hyena's response.

With that, the gang started to leave, Syke following last. He stopped at the tree line to make one more vengeful vow. "You're gonna pay dearly for this. All of you". "Perhaps we will, perhaps we won't" was Lonzo's still stern response. The Wolf then finally left their sight.

Lonzo lowered the gun while the others breathed a sigh of relief. That was quite the spectacle for them. Lonzo had outright threatened Syke and the Wolves away from taking the body away. But what was really a sight to behold was that Lonzo stood up to them and none of them had so much as a scratch. "Cheap-skate cocksucker?" chuckled Laney "Where'd you get that one?".

"Said what I saw" was Lonzo's smug answer to that question. That got her and his brothers to chuckle. "So what now?" Sweeney asked "Do we take him now?". Lonzo looked at the dead kid for a moment before looking his brother in the eyes and firmly saying "No". Sweeney and Keach were shocked at this answer. "B-but we c-c-came all this w-way" Keach stammered "We w-were s-sup-p-posed to be h-heroes for the c-clan".

Lonzo simply said "Not this way".

It took a bit of convincing, but Sweeney and Keach agreed to leave an anonymous message to the Lionhearts. Laney had made her mind up as soon as Lonzo made his declaration. With that, they left for home.

It took notably less time than the journey there as there were no obstacles in their way this time around. Eventually, they made it back to the colony at 7 in the afternoon. They then stopped at their hut to digest everything that happened. Their immediate though was that they would have some explaining to do about Keach and Lonzo's wounds. They might have to bend the truth a little bit. Say there was an accident at the races or an altercation with the Wolves. But, even so, they would be in trouble with their folks eventually. But that would have to wait for now.

"So what happens now?" Laney asked. "Simple. We go home, explain a few things, go to bed and go about our day the next morning" Lonzo answered. Sweeney was about to say something when Lonzo cut him off. "And we don't say of word of this to anyone. Ever" he firmly said. The three looked uncertain, but trusted Lonzo's judgement nonetheless. After all, it was his sense of judgement that got them out of trouble in the past. "Hands in" he said, placing his hand on the table. Sweeney and Keach put their hands in after some initial hesitation. It took a couple minutes, but Laney was the last one to put her hand in. With that, their pact was made.

"We best get home before our folks start hunting for us" Sweeney said before climbing out of the ceiling hatch, Keach following close behind. Laney and Lonzo then exited after. It was starting to get dark, so they had to get home pretty quickly. "You two go" Lonzo said to his brothers "I wanna speak with Laney for a bit". They shot him a confused look, but the looks on his eyes told them everything and they nodded silently before heading home.

Lonzo then turned to Laney and they sat together on the roof of their hut, staring into the sky. "Will we ever help the clan out of here?" she asked. "We will" he responded "One day. Whatever it takes". She looked at him and smiled gently at him. He smiled back. "Thanks for being my best friend" she said. He smiled a little wider and replied "You too". They sat in silence before they decided to part.

Lonzo wanted to say one more thing before heading home. "You're gonna be a great matriarch" he told her "I know it". She smiled. "You're gonna find someone one day" he continued "And I don't doubt he'll make a great patriarch" he teased at the last bit. She simply chuckled, a little red in the face. He got his payback. He was about to walk out of sight before he turned around to face her. "And don't worry. We're never gonna leave you here" he said.

"I promise"

And then he was gone.

Years later, as they continued into adulthood, the four still remained together, even after Laney was eventually made matriarch and found her own special someone. They got along with him well and he was like a brother-in-law to them. The clan had remained more or less the same, but they wouldn't trade it out for anything else.

If there was one thing Laney would say to Lonzo if it were her last words, it would be simply...

"Thank you"


	4. Peeping Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snowy's using his binoculars to watch Carver and Sandy getting it on. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut chapter here, so don't read if you're not into it

(Main Characters: Snowy, Carver, Sandy & Cyrus)

Snowy's POV

Holy shit! We got ourselves a keeper!

These binoculars I found might have some good use after all. Cause I see Carver and Sandy going at it like a pair of horny chihuahuas. And it's getting steamy real fast.

He's zipping her coveralls off and she's unbuttoning his coat. Just don't get your beard stuck in there, mate! The shoes are coming off and now the pants, holy...

Look at the skin on her! Silky smooth. And look at Carver, his skin ain't half bad either. Too bad his hair's all craggly. You're not helping with that beard either, grandpa! Good thing Cyrus isn't around or he'd kick my ass.

They're caressing each other and lashing tongues. Her hands are striking his back and vice versa. I think I got something going on in my pants right now.

I mean, look at her chest! That is one firm rack... Oh! He's getting to work on her nipple with his teeth. That beard probably tickles, but she doesn't seem to mind. And my pants are feeling real tight. It's pretty painful at this point, but it's their fault for leaving a view open for me!

Usually, I wouldn't, but fuck it. Haven't done it in a while and I need it. So my left hand's still holding onto the binoculars and my right hand is trying to take out my junk for funzies. Hope no one notices, otherwise I'm am really fucking dead.

Now things are getting steamy. They're both completely naked and are licking, scratching and biting each other. I can see their crotches on display. And whew! Carver's got the goods going on! He must be 10 inches! Maybe 11! And Sandy's wide open! Oh, this is gonna be good!

Now or never.

Oh... Fuck me,that is so good. And they're doing the nasty full on... I gotta take my pants off or I'm gonna get chafes. Oh shit... the air feels good. And just as he's giving her a good pounding. And holy shit! He must be going at 20 or 30 thrusts a minute!

And her face... oh man, that is the face of someone who's fit to burst. Her tongue's sticking out and she has her legs over his shoulders. She just bit into his shoulder! I see blood! And he's... into it?! This is crazy! But also really fucking hot! I'm almost there...

Almost... Almost... Almost...

AND SHE BURSTS! Juicy all around! And now he's done! I can see cum everywhere! On himself, on her and all over the bed! I think I'm about to blow now...!

Aaaaaand...

...

"THE FUCK?!"

...

3rd Person POV

"OH SHIT!"

That was Snowy's shriek as he spun around to see Cyrus glaring at him in outrage and bewilderment.

Unfortunately, that was when his release finally came...

All over Cyrus' jacket...

"OH, YOU MANKY MONGREL!" said Hyena roared. Snowy, now spent and collapsed on the ground, was looking at Cyrus with a horrified look on his face.

He knew right there: He. Was. FUCKED.

"C'mere, you little-!" Cyrus lunged at him, causing him to jump out of the way. He quickly pulled up his pants and ran off, Cyrus not far behind him. With that, the two ran through the colony, shrieks, yells and curses all the way.

...

Word of Advice: Next time you find a couple in the middle of doing each other, DON'T STOP TO WATCH AND JERK OFF, PERVERT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was my first attempt at smut. Don't read it if you don't like that. Although, if you're reading this, you've already read through the whole thing. Sorry if this was shorter than my previous chapters, I just don't think stuff like this needs to be that long.


	5. The Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweeney and Ruby reminisce about their childhood under an old tree.

(Main Characters: Sweeney & Ruby. Both aged 7, then 13, then 23)

Sweeney's POV (Present Day)

"Do you remember when I showed you this tree?"

That snapped me out of my blissful trance and made me turn to look at my Ruby. My Ruby...

It's times like this I don't know how to describe her. In some way, she's my everything. Well... not everything. There's also my brothers and friends. The whole clan, basically.

But Ruby... she is something else. Lonzo once told me she's my "calming beauty". I would've broken his nose if she wasn't around. And he was right.

Usually, I'm short-tempered and vicious, but when I'm near her, I seem to be the complete opposite. Even I get shocked at this sometimes, but most of the time, I barely notice. Either she's got me under some spell, which I highly doubt, or I'm in love.

My answer to her question was a simple "Yes". And I mean it when I say that. I remember it like it was yesterday.

*Flashback (7 years old)*

I'm in the backyard of Lonzo's folks' hut, just tossing a pine cone around. Eventually, I toss it a bit too hard and it goes over the fence.

Not really thinking ahead, I quickly go to squeeze through a gap in the fence. Just between the end and a tree. I might have been too hasty since I feel a sharp sting on my leg.

I pop through and go to look at my leg. Must've caught it on a nail. Before I could think of anything else, I hear a voice behind me say "You're bleeding"

I spin around to see a girl, roughly my age. I smirk a bit since I already knew about Ruby. We had met last year and had gotten pretty friendly. She lived in the hut next to ours. When we met, I was about to pummel some kid who asked me about my "real" folks.

My mom had died a few years ago and my dad was... angry. Really angry. I don't... like talking about them. It's not pretty. After I was alone, Lonzo had his folks bring me in and we've been brothers ever since.

For Ruby, she appeared out of nowhere and I stopped in my tracks. The kid I was planning to beat up ran off. I think she saw I was upset and she... hugged me. Maybe it was to be nice. It felt nice.

She stands up and says "Come in the hut and I'll wash your cut". I follow her into her hut. She lived with her dad, who my folks was a "drinker", and her mom had left when she was tiny. We would sometimes hear him yell at Ruby from their hut. My mom would usually whisper "Poor little thing". I would whisper that myself, although I made sure no one heard me.

Her hut was more... dirty than ours. She asks me to sit on a stool, which I do without question. She then starts cleaning the cut on my leg. It feels soft, kinda like when mom would sometimes stroke my hair when I was asleep. She was just about done when I hear a door slam. She turned pale in an instant.

Before I knew it, her dad came in. He is a very large man, with bushy hair and huge sharp teeth. He looked more like a Wolf than a Hyena. He stops in his tracks and glares at us. I think he's looking at me more than Ruby.

It doesn't matter since he walks over and slaps her across the face. I had heard him yell at her, but seeing him hit her was something else. It reminded me of my real dad. He turns towards me and comes face to face with me.

I'm scared stiff. I'm much smaller than him and he looks as if he wants to kill me. He growls at me, which makes me cower. He then says "Get out of my home, boy". I only get a glance at Ruby before I jump off the stool and run out of the hut and through the fence. She looked scared, but more for me than for her.

That night, the yelling was much worse. Usually, I can drown it out, but after seeing what happened earlier, it was harder to ignore. I slink further into my sheets and cover my ears with my pillow. I still hear it. I scrunch up my eyes to try and fall asleep, but I end up squeezing tears out of my eyes. I can also feel my lip trembling.

Lonzo was a heavier sleeper than me, so he couldn't hear it. Lucky... It takes what feels like forever before I dose off. I wake up the next morning, feeling ragged and tired. Lonzo's bed is empty. Not surprising.

I think I should see how Ruby is. I have to check on her, seeing as she helped me. I figure my folks wouldn't let me see her, so I sneak out the window and go to her backyard.

I squeeze through the fence, more carefully this time, and sit under the tree to wait for her. Sure enough, she comes out. She looks a little pale, but still happy to see me. I smile back.

I wanted to ask her about last night, but I don't want to upset her. She puts her hand on my shoulder and tells me she and her dad had a talk earlier, and he agreed to stop drinking. She then gestures to the tree and says "This tree. It's a magic tree. If you sit by it and wish hard enough, your wish will come true".

I look at her in awe. She was a few months older than me, so I figured she had that "elder wisdom", or whatever it is. She gives me a look which tells me "I wished my dad would stop hitting me, and now he's not going to anymore". I smile at her, happy for her. We then start to talk for a bit.

Eventually, she says "You better head back before your folks find out you're gone". I'm shocked. How did she know I had snuck out? She answers me with a smirk and a wink. I smirk at her in return and tell her I would see her later, if not tomorrow. She nods and we both go back to our huts. I climb in through the window and back into bed.

I spend a good amount of time thinking about her. I'm stopped when Lonzo pats me on the face. He has a knowing look on his face. I'm torn between jumping him or, dare I say it, pleading him to to tell Mom and Dad I had snuck out. He simply says "Don't worry. I won't say a word" before walking out of the room.

Most times, having Lonzo as a brother is the best. He doesn't bully me or even snitch on me. We have fights sometimes, but what brothers don't have those? Mom and Dad are great too, they take care of me and seem to love me more than my actual folks ever did. There was also our younger brother Keach. He was left alone like me, and Lonzo's folks took him in. Keach is fun to be around, if only to tease a little.

There was also our best friend Laney. Her mom's the matriarch of the clan and she's training Laney to be one in the future. I don't think her dad likes us that much. He once called us troublemakers. But what fun would it be if we couldn't cause a little trouble?

There are other kids in the clan, but I don't really bother. Although, Ruby is really something else compared to them. She's a bit more quiet and has a soft way with words. After dinner, I decide to see her again. She's waiting under the tree.

We just sit there and talk until we start feeling tired. Her head is on my shoulder. Usually, when someone does that, I push or even kick them off me. But this feels... nice. And her hair is smooth and silky, like a blanket. It tickles a little.

Eventually, we hear her dad call for her from inside their hut. We agree to meet tomorrow and head home to bed.

I dream about her that night. Just her and me and the tree. I playfully wish we could sit there forever. She looks at me and smiles before saying "Me too". And then I wake up.

*A month later*

It's my 8th birthday today. My folks had caught a good meal from the outskirts and they told me Laney would be coming over. I can't be more happy. My folks, my brothers and our best friend. I then get the idea to invite Ruby. I figure she deserved to be out of that hut for at least a day. I tell Lonzo about it and he agrees to distract our folks until I've invited her.

I sneak out into the yard and squeeze through the fence. She's there by the tree again. She looks at me sweetly and tells me "Happy Birthday". I feel warm at her words. I then tell her about the party we were having later and that I wanted to invite her. She promised she would show up. Happy beyond belief, I hug her. She tenses up a bit, but settles and returns the hug.

A couple hours later, the party starts and everyone is there. My folks had gotten a nice cadaver from someone they found outside the colony. Lonzo and Keach had gotten me gloves and a pair of red lens glasses. They fitted nice and seeing everything in red was cool. Laney then gives me a grey jumper. She told me her mom had knitted it herself. I thank them all over their gifts and we start to have fun. However, my excitement drops when I realise something.

Ruby isn't here.

Lonzo notices and asks me what's wrong. I tell him Ruby had promised me she'd come and she hasn't arrived. He tells me to check on her, although he says to risk using the front door since Mom would kill me if I slipped through the fence in my new jumper.

I slip out and knock on the door to the hut next to us. Her dad answers. I quiver a bit, but manage to ask if Ruby was in. He looks me over and says "She's not here, kid", before closing the door.

I sneak back home and just hope she would turn up. Eventually, the party ends, the cadaver is mostly eaten and Laney had gone back home. Keach goes to bed, full from the cadaver. Lonzo is about to go too when he sees me. I was upset that Ruby had blown me off and broken her promise. He tries to comfort me, but I slap his hand away and go outside.

I slip through the fence and find her sitting by the tree. She looks up at me with a sad look. I don't care since my feelings were hurt and I told her as such. Usually, I'm more quick to anger than sadness, but she had that effect on me. She stays quiet while I tell her how hurt I am that she didn't show up.

When I finish, she has a tear running down her cheek and she quietly says "Look at me, Sweeney. Really look at me". I do, taking in her emerald eyes. She continues "I don't have proper clothes and I couldn't get you a proper present. I'm sorry". I then notice she's holding something. She hands it to me.

It's a dark grey beanie hat. She looks at me and says "I wanted to find you something nicer, but this was the only thing I could get". She looks down, a sad look on her face. I look down at the beanie in my hands, which causes my hair to go in front of my face. I have pretty long hair and I don't like to cut it. I then get the idea to use the beanie to keep my hair back.

I do just that and my hair is kept back, except for a few strands in my face, but I don't care. I look at her and say "Thank you". She looks up at me and giggles a little bit.

My heart thunked in my chest. I look at her eyes again and I suddenly realise...

I'm in love.

"One day, I'll take you away from this" I promise her, my hands on her shoulders and still looking her in the eyes. She then says "I wish you will".

*5 Years Later*

I'm sitting with Ruby by the tree again. Something we've been doing ever since the day she helped me with with my leg. Her head is on my shoulder and she's humming softly.

I then feel a tinge of sadness when I realise that this is going to be the last I see of her for some time. Tomorrow, me and my brothers are going to be out through "The Trials".

The Trials are a sort-of survival training spot. Usually in abandoned and moderately dangerous areas. When Hyenas reach teenage years, they need to earn skills if they're going to survive on their own or out there.

Something then pops to mind. Why wasn't Ruby going to the Trials? She was the same age as me. I ask her about it and she says "I have to be here to remind my dad how much a monster he is when he drinks".

That answer is draining to say the least. It doesn't feel right for her to be stuck here. She then says "But one day, I'm gonna be free". She turn lifts her head up and looks me in the face.

"I haven't forgotten the promise you made".

Neither had I.

*Months later*

Finally finished with the Trials. A lot more intense than I thought, even got scared half to death some of the time. But the thought of returning to Ruby kept me going. And it helped me immensely.

Today was the day I would see her again and fulfill my promise. We had to move deeper into the colony, but I figured she would still be at her hut.

I run there as fast as I can.

I reach our old hut, already taken by some other Hyenas. I go to where Ruby lived and try to open the door. One of the Hyenas living in our old hut notices me and asks "Is that your hut?".

I truthfully say no and explain I used to live in the hut he currently lives in. I further explain that a friend of mine lived in the hut I'm trying to enter. He seems to realise as his face rises up.

He then tells me what I was hoping not to hear.

Apparently, a month or so ago, Ruby's dad had died and she had left.

I don't understand. She would never leave that hut. Not to mention, where would she even go? If she was on her own, then she could be in trouble. But what really hits me is the revelation that I can never fulfill my promise.

I must've been in a trance because I feel a tap on my shoulder. The Hyena's still there, looking at me. What happens next is a blur. I must've gone berserk with what I had learned since all I can remember is slugging him in the face and running away.

My mind is in shambles. Ruby's gone. And, without knowing where she left to, I might never see her again. And with her gone, my promise is nothing.

*Some Time Later*

I'm still devastated with this whole thing. My brothers and Laney try to help, but I either stay unresponsive or even lash out at them. It's not their fault, I know that. But, I can't seem to control myself. All I could focus on was the fact that my promise was gone along with Ruby, and that promise meant a lot to me.

I then get this idea to go to the tree. I'm not sure why, but the thought oddly calms me. At night, I sneak out. Within 10 or so minutes, I reach the old hut. I go around to sneak to the back. Sure enough, the tree is still there.

I stand in front of it. I start feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden. Before I know it, I break into silent sobs and fall to a sitting position. I then say something my mind's been saying for a long time.

"I wish she would come back..."

*10 Years Later*

A lot has changed.

The colony's bigger and me and my brothers have quite the reputation. Lonzo's bulked up quite a bit and Keach is... a little unhinged... at least somewhat.

Me? I'm a cold-blooded killer with more scars than I care to admit or show. And I mean it. It's already bad enough I have a scar across my cheek and neck, but I have various across my body. And, to add insult to injury, I have a plate in my head.

Got a nasty head wound a few years back during a "mission" to track down a Dingo from a rare tribe. Bastard bit a chunk out of my skull. It's shocking how I'm still alive.

Tonight is "Night of the Hyena". Kind of a special day of sorts. Usually, everyone has somebody to dance, talk or do whatever with. Except me, that is. I can't bear the thought of being with someone other than Ruby.

For the past 10 years, I've been sneaking away from the festivities and go to the tree. The huts had been torn down a few years ago and the tree was on a hill, surrounded by forest. I figured this would be the place I would go to be alone. Be alone and mourn.

I swig a drink and slip outside the colony doors. At this point, it's painful to see everyone having a special someone with them. Maybe not all of them, but still. Lonzo, Keach and Laney had their own, whereas I was all alone. Some females have come to me over the years, but I always brushed them off.

It takes me half an hour due to my slow pace, but I eventually reach the tree...

I stand in front of it and place a hand unto its face. I then look to where I usually sit under it. I see myself and Ruby sitting there, talking, laughing and just generally enjoying each other's company. I thought about the same things over the past 10 years.

My Ruby... And how much I missed her... What really happened to her? Was she even still alive...?

Before long, I break down. And just like that, I'm sitting against the tree, crying to myself, tears rolling down my face. I must've been quite a sight. Me, a maniac in the making, sobbing under a tree. I then think back to the wish I made all those years ago.

At this point, I didn't believe in the tree's "magic" anymore. It was dead and barely showed comfort to me. I then lean my head onto the tree, tears still rolling down my face. I'm about to burst out crying again when I hear humming from behind. Not thinking straight, I bolt up to my feet and go around to see who's there.

Standing there, facing the tree with a hand on its face, is a figure in a crudely stitched together dress of sorts and a hood over their head. I simply look at the figure, a little in awe of who it could be. I stand there for what feels like forever before the figure turns around and notices me.

The figure stops in their tracks and simply stares at me, almost as if they recognize me. They then step close to me until we are inches from each other. I still can't see the face in the hood, but it feels like they're looking me in the eyes. Eyes which had been filled with tears minutes ago. They were probably red at this point, although, with my glasses, my eyes always look red.

The figure then lifts up their hands to their hood and lowers it...

Messy short dark hair. Dark skin. Pale lips. But most of all, emerald green eyes.

It then hits me.

...

Ruby...

...

I see the girl I fell in love with all those years ago right in front of me. I'm stunned silent and still for a moment. Tears had started running down my face again, but not the same tears as before. I then quickly embrace her in a tight hug, a smile creeping onto my face. She pushes me back a bit, but then looks me in the eyes. And smiles. And then the hug resumes.

We separate after what must have been 10 minutes straight. I look her in the face again and finally say what I've been meaning to say for a very long time...

"I love you".

She looks at me, still smiling, a little wider than before. She then says what would my dear memory for the rest of my life.

"I love you too"

With that, our lips meet and our embrace tightens.

*Present Day*

I finish retelling everything when I see her with a concerned look on her face. I ask her what's wrong. She asks me "Do you regret any of it?".

I look at her and firmly state "No. And I would do it all again". She gives me a bewildered look for a few seconds before relaxing. We hold each other in a tight embrace for quite some time before she starts giggling.

"What's so funny?" I ask her. She shoots me a smirk before she says "I guess the tree still works, huh?".

I then start bursting into laughs at this. I could not believe I didn't realise that until now. I look back at her after I finish my laughing fit, glaring my teeth in my signature smirk. Depending on the person, anyone who sees me smirk knows what I'm thinking. For instance, when I find prey, they know they're in trouble when I shoot them a smirk.

For Ruby, there is clear mischief in my smirk. We then get to locking our lips again, a little rougher than usual. Before we know it, we're rolling on the ground and going much further in our tongue lashing. And doing much more.

So, that's how we got together. A little sappy and tragic, but sometimes, that's how relationships go. Now that Ruby is with me, the Night of the Hyena festivities are fun to attend. Lonzo, Laney and Keach like to tease how Ruby seems to calm me, but I don't mind for the most part. I lose my temper here and there, but I make sure Ruby is not there to witness it. I know I'll have to admit my own faults to her eventually, but for now, she cannot know. Not now.

Well, I better get back to business. My coat is off and my upper body is bare, showing all the scars and cuts to her. And she's being tender with her fingers over them. Well, I've spoken enough, so please fuck off and let us do our thing.


	6. New Shitty Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene's found a new home for Laney and some others to stay after losing their colony.  
> Laney's not too pleased about it, to say the least.

(Main Characters: Saul, Laney, Barb, Hunter & Eugene)

Laney's POV

"Well, what do you think?"

Those were the first words to come out of Eugene's mouth as soon as he showed us our "new place". A shed looking thing that looked like it could barely fit 3 people in it. Looked more like a shithouse than anything.

"I think it is the shittiest place I've ever seen" I say in the gloomiest tone possible to our clan's lawyer. He didn't like that one bit, snapping back with "Well, this is the best we can get within price range. Talk about ungrateful..."

"No. Talk about cheap" growled the clan brute, Hunter "Where am I supposed to sleep anyway? In the yard?". He does have a point. He's much taller than us and I doubt any room in that dump would properly fit him. Our lawyer simply shrugged "Eh. I was thinking the roof. Pretty spacey up there". Unbelievable...

"The roof?! The fuck?!" was Hunter's response to that. Again, Eugene shrugged with that smug grin on his face. I swear I want to knock his teeth out sometimes. "I don't think you're in a position to argue, big guy. Besides, the roof's got a great view" he continued. He was about to go inside before turning to me and saying "Oh, and Laney. I got a surprise for you up there". He had that same grin on his face. I was already dreading what it could be.

He then entered the house (if you can even call it that). "Laney?" I hear Hunter say. I turn to face him. He has a concerned look on his face. That's one thing to like about Hunter. He may be a brute, but he's smart and loyal. He then asks gently "You still pissed at him?". I let out a sigh before calmly answering "If I am, not as much I am annoyed".

I then look him in the face, a thought of concern having just hit me. "What about you, Hunter? You sure you'll be alright on the roof?" I ask. He smiles. "Don't worry about it. He does have a point though. Can't be too picky with my size". I smile back. At least he's trying to make the best of it. "By the way" he says "Have you seen Barb or Saul at all?". I chuckle a little. "Barb's got a nice gig at some trailer park and Saul had an interview today" I say, trying not to laugh at Hunter's puzzled expression.

"Really? Saul? An interview...?" He asks. More to himself, really.

...

*A Few Hours Later*

...

Ugh, what a dump.

This shithouse is much worse than I imagined. The whole place looks as if it's decaying and ready to fall apart. At least the beds are somewhat comfortable. I then look at what I brought with me. Chief among them, my old hair crown. It's too small now, but I can't seem to get rid of it. But I really wish I could since it just brings back bad memories.

I remember the attack on the colony. Everyone running for their lives. Wolves appearing at all sides. I also remember the Hyena Brothers. Last time I saw them, they were still fighting a bunch of Wolves before the cavern collapsed. For all I know, they could be dead...

I'm then snapped out of my thoughts by someone firmly calling my name. I turn around to see Barb, the former clan supervisor, in my doorway, concern on her face. "You ok?" she asks. I give her a smile and a simple "Hey you. How are things at the park?". She smiles and says "Not too bad. No one's caught on to me being a Hyena yet, so that's something". We both chuckle at this. "Too bad it's packed right now. Otherwise, the clan could probably live there" she says grimly. I decide to change the subject. "Let's go see the roof" I say. Barb looks confused. "The roof...?" she asks before I start heading to said location.

We reach the stairs leading to the roof when I see Saul. Still as smart dressed as I remember. He notices me and offers me a smile. "I see you're back" I say to him "Did you get the job?". The smile on his face answers my question before he does himself. "I did, actually". Curious, I ask "Where do you work?". "Savannahville Driving School" he states, proudly. I stifle a giggle, but he notices. "What's so funny?" he asks, both in confusement and slight amusement. "Well, you'd think you'd never go near another vehicle after that incident" I answer before asking "Why do you even need a job?"

"Gets me out of the house. And it's good to earn some money". I know the real answer immediately. "You don't like it here either" I state in my classic matter of fact way. "No. I suppose not" he replies "Probably a transition phase. I guess after all that's happened, I'd be far away from... well, all this" with an almost shameful look on him. I then ask "Away from me, too?". He reacts quickly, stating "What? No! That's not what I meant at all". I smile at him. "I know. It was a stupid question".

I look him in the face before the moment is cut short by Barb calling at us from above. "You two coming up here or not?!". Classic Barb. Always the impatient one. Me and Saul make our way to the roof. Eugene and Hunter are ready there; Eugene still his smug self and Hunter still his grumpy self. "Waddaya think?" the former asks us "Nice view, ain't it?".

I'll admit, it did have a nice view, but that was all I was willing to compliment this place for. "By the way. Laney" the lawyer continued "Guess what I found?" before moving to a tarp covered... thing. He then unravels it, revealing the last thing I wanted to see.

The old clan basin

3rd person POV

The basin was used by the clan to monitor anyone who wandered outside the colony. The method used was to simply dose the water with a drop of the chosen Hyena's blood. Once the blood is given, the water becomes something of a two-way mirror.

Laney did not like the look of the thing, as it reminded her of the Hyenas' destroyed colony. It also didn't help that there were vials of blood surrounding it. After all, a person doesn't need to be alive for the basin to work. It would simply show what was left. Laney didn't want to imagine seeing her people mutilated in the basin, especially her best friends. Eugene did not notice her distressed face and continued.

"I figured since you guys used this old thing a lot, it'd be good to keep it around" was the final straw for Laney.

"Get rid of it"

Those were her only words to this, and she growled every bit of it. There was no way this was gonna end well. The other 3 immediately felt the tension.

Eugene, however, did not. Instead, he was confused. Oh, this was not gonna be pretty. Not one bit.

"Oh, c'mon Laney. Be reasonable" he said to her. Her face said exactly what was needed. She absolutely could not believe Eugene would be this inconsiderate or idiotic. This was completely unfathomable in so many regards.

"I. Don't. Want. That. FUCKING. Thing. Here" she hissed at the now taken aback lawyer. She then stormed downstairs. Saul quickly followed, not willing to let her deal with this alone as it could lead to complete disaster.

Barb and Hunter simply stayed and stared at the stairway. "Ass" the latter gruffly insulted Eugene, who simply exclaimed "The hell did I do?". That earned him a conk on the head by Barb and a kick in the crotch by Hunter. Well deserved.

Saul's POV

"Laney!" I yelled as I searched around the place for her. I yell again, this time hearing a noise coming from a room next to me. I open the door and there she is. She's never a pretty sight when distressed or angry. Well... almost never. She is a little cute when she's angry, but good luck telling her that.

She's sat on the bed, a gloomy and enraged look on her face. I sit down next to her in an attempt to comfort her. I figure it's best for her to let out a little steam before talking. She seems to get the idea as she starts scratching her hair. Must've broken out into angry itching.

"He makes me so mad sometimes!" she spat "Who the fuck does he think he is?! Pompous shitbag!". I can't blame her. Eugene is a good lawyer, but helping folks other ways was far from being a strong suit of his. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, we all have a beef with him right now. At least for the time being" I say to her gently. She seems to calm down, but still looks downtrodden. I put my hand under her chin. "Hey. Come on, chin up" I offer, a small smile on my face. She offers me one in return before she says something which catches me off-guard.

"You have a nice smile"

"What?" I ask, surprised. Great job, Saul, you're stuck in a talk loop. She then says "You know how to cheer people up, too". I respond in the most ernest way. "Well, no. Not really". I even rub the back of my head. "You know how to cheer me up then" she states.

She then embraces me before she says the most precious thing.

"I missed you"

I look her in the eyes and smile. "Me too" I say to her with all the meaning in the world. Our lips meet quickly. It only lasts at least 10 seconds, but it felt like a gift from above.

After we pull away, I see her face has shifted to concern. "What's the matter?" I ask. She answers "Do you think the others are still alive?"

I honestly don't know what to say. I'm just as worried about the rest of the clan after the Wolf attack. And then there's the Hyena Brothers. They were still fighting Wolves when the cavern collapsed. I can only hope they had survived.

I then look back at Laney and take in her face, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Honestly, I don't know" I answer her. "We're all worried about the clan. We can only hope they're still out there somewhere"

She sniffs and nods silently. I then feel the need to ask her something I had been meaning to ask for a while. "What about you?"

She looks at me, a questioning look on her face. "What do you mean?" she asks. "Well... " I start to say before I trail off, losing my train of thought. She then quickly asks "You did miss me too, right? You told me so when you found me"

I remember that. It had been weeks after the attack. I was searching around the destroyed colony when I found her. Weak. Beaten. And almost dead. I instantly held her in my arms and cried how much I missed her.

"I thought you were passed out then" I admit to her before quickly following with "But, of course I missed you! We all did...". She doesn't seem comforted at all. In fact, she seemed even more downtrodden than before.

"You were all fine without me..." she quietly, lowering her head. I place both hands on her shoulders and say with every meaning in my body "We were all worried about you. Especially after the fire. And, well... We... We all thought you were dead..."

"Sometimes I feel like I am..." she admits silently.

I embrace her further before placing my hand on hers. She stiffens a bit and lets out a slight gasp before relaxing and holding my hand.

No matter what happens, I will always be there for her and I will never NEVER leave her side.

That I promise...


	7. Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The main 4's first time hunting tricky prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each character has their own dialogue. Or instance, Laney's is in _Italics_ , Lonzo's is in **Bold** , Keach is a stutterer and Sweeney speaks in normal text.  
> Got it?

" _Don't need no sisters. Maybe some that ain't blood_ "

" **You ain't got to worry none about that. Besides, you got us as brothers, don't ya?** "

"Y-y-yeah, it's n-not so b-b-b-bad with u-us, is it-t-t?"

"Hey, you wanna shut him up? We have an interloper and it's a good one"

" _If we find 'em, they could be our goat. We need a goat_ "

" **What in the hell are you talking about? Whatcha mean goat?** "

"I think I know where you're gettin' at. And I think I like this idea..."

" **Sweeney, you mind explaining?** "

"He j-just likes to hear himself t-t-t-t-talk"

" _Just a small piece of flesh between us and the claws. That's all we need_ "

" **You wanna give 'em to Hoskin** "

" _That's the idea_ "

"I d-don't w-w-wanna get H-Hoskin's at-t-tention. He'll hurt us"

"He'll hurt you. You'd make a nice piece of skin for him. He especially likes 'em rough"

"Sh-shut up. I d-don't wanna go d-d-down to him. I've seen what he d-d-does"

" **Shut up. Both of ya. I swear, you two get distracted too easy sometimes** "

" _There he is! Waddaya think?_ "

"Oh, he'll do"

" _For once, we agree_ "

"He's there! Inside the w-walls! Kill him!"

" **Fish in a fuckin' barrel...** "

" _Hehe... This idiot WANTS to die_ "

"He g-got away! The beast'll h-h-have us!"

"Shut up! We'll find another way around. We know these grounds and we don't mind huntin'"

" _You lost him, you useless fuck!_ "

" **Over there! He's heading over the ridge! We can cut him off there!** "

" _There he goes..._

" **Here comes the meat** "

"Here comes your lunch, Mr. Hoskin"

"We g-give him other flesh and he sp-sp-spares ours"

" _Fuckin' idiot delivered himself to Hoskin's hell..._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this was too short, but not everything can be 1000 words long.  
> And yes, I know this is like the Dennis encounter in Outlast. The dialogue is just too good to not have in this.


End file.
